Bergamot and Vetiver
by GenericDude
Summary: Lucius goes out of his way to cure Florina when she is hit by a poison arrow by creating a special medicine. But an unlikely, strong alliance blossoms from the gesture, slowly forging into something stronger. Rated T or violence and stuff.
1. Chapter 1: Poison

**Yo, well here I am in a different video game category. I wrote a sort of crack fic for Fire Emblem before, which was just for a joke and to share a little cautionary tale. But this story will be my first of hopefully a few fully-fledged Fire Emblem stories, based on a pairing in which I have only seen one other fanfic written about. I think the pairing can definitely work, so here I go, I hope you enjoy!**

**P.S I'm not 100% sure of the chronology and proceedings of certain events in FE7, so there may be some inaccuracies. Feel free to correct me where I go wrong. Ta!**

Bergamot and Vetiver

Chapter 1: Poison

Dead of night. The world outside was completely and utterly still. The sound of an owl could be heard, quietly piercing the tranquility.

There was a discomfort in the air. Setting his books in order for the long journey ahead, he arranged them into alphabetical order before readying his satchel. He didn't know how long he would be travelling for, but he knew his business with the group wasn't finished yet.

The books were in order. Moving to the window, he knelt onto his knees and brought his hands together. He began to pray.

"St Elimine, I thank you for allowing my soul to remain clean amidst this conflict that we are under. I have aided the graceful Lord Eliwood in his task and I pray that you continue to watch over him as he grieves through this very hard time. I also pray that you shine your light of hope and peace on each and every companion, whom all fight for the same cause that peace will return to the land…"

There was a knock on the door. He quickly cut his prayer short and stood up to address the opening door.

"Come in" he said quietly. A dark robed figure walked through the door, adjusting his monocle.

"Oh…I'm sorry Father Lucius" the man said.

"Please, don't worry" Lucius answered. "And…there's no need to call me Father. We're close enough as companions to address each other by first names, if that's okay?"

The figure chuckled.

"Okay" he said kindly.

"Thanks, Canas" Lucius replied. "In any case, how can I help you?" He watched as Canas released a soft sigh, looking out to the window, administering the silent town around them.

"I was just checking to see if everyone's alright…" Canas explained.

"It's terrible, isn't it?" Lucius replied. "It must be so awful for Lord Eliwood. To fight so hard to see his father, only to cradle him in his…dying moments…"

Lucius shuddered at the thought. The morale around the group was extremely damp since the disaster as Dread Isle. Everybody was exhausted from what felt like a wasted effort. They may have stopped Nergal, but he wasn't dead. Only wounded. Everybody knew that he would return, and they were forced to wait in anticipation for the moment when that dreaded day would arrive.

"It is an awful feeling…" Canas explained, looking towards Lucius. "Everybody feels so drained by it all. Me included"

"I know…I pray that things do become smoother for us in the future" Lucius sighed. The two stood still, taking in the air of quiet grief around them.

"…Well, I suppose I'd better be going to bed" Canas explained. "Lord Eliwood decided that an early start tomorrow would be best. No rest for the weary, hm?"

"Lord Eliwood wants this?" Lucius asked. "…He's strong of soul, that's for sure"

As Canas smiled, he turned around, only to see Dorcas almost bursting through the door. He looked tired and flustered.

"What's wrong?" Canas asked.

"Enemies are approaching us" Dorcas revealed quickly. "Grab your weapons and take some torches from Merlinus, there's a lot of them coming"

The feeling was familiar. The calm suddenly being overtaken by a storm. As Lucius shot a glance outside his window, he could see torches in the distance. A night attack. Their vision was to be hindered by the darkness. Quickly grabbing his tomes, and pulling his new bishop's robe on, he clutched his staff and uttered a swift prayer before moving out of the room and to the outside, where the rest of the group waited.

As Lucius walked out, he could see the rest of the group preparing their weapons for battle. Eliwood and the other lords, Lyn and Hector, were in the middle of the group, comforting Eliwood. He was dressed and ready to fight as if nothing had happened to him but one glance at his reddened eyes and his exhausted expression showed that he had been grieving. Ninian was also stood next to him, offering her comfort.

Looking to his left, he saw Oswin talking quickly with Mark, the silent, reserved tactician. It appeared that Oswin was to take the lead, seeming his armor was the toughest. Marcus and Kent would back up, and the rest of the group would split up into three to cover the entire town, ready to face the advancing enemy.

As the battle begun, Lucius moved into his group and split towards the center of town, shielded behind Oswin and the two paladins. He prepared his Shine tome to battle anything that tried to flank them, creating a near perfect defense around the weakened Eliwood, who remained at the center to fight anything that slipped through for him. They advanced through the middle of the town and made their way for the gate, where Oleg, the leader of the group, was waiting for them, flanked by two knights.

The battle raged on as the group attempted to take Oleg down. Lucius found himself trying to defend and flank that was being constantly exploited by wyvern riders. Lucius was quick on his feet and was able to dodge the somewhat clumsy lances of the wyvern riders, uttering the phrases of his tome book, creating bolts of white lighting that struck the wyverns right down.

The battle neared its end. Oleg was on the ropes, facing a fierce battle with Lyn, axe versus sword. The large axe couldn't hit its target as Lyn waved around it, laying cut after cut on Oleg's skin, slowing his attacks even further. The wyverns had stopped attacking and it appeared as if Oleg was about to die. Lucius became a spectator as he watched the battle between the two.

With a set of swift strokes, Lyn cut a cross on Oleg's chest, ripping his armor open and cutting his flesh deeply. His bow arm as already damaged from Marcus's sword and he was bleeding heavily from his mouth. He fell onto his knees, dropping his axe as Lyn wiped the blood of her blade in the grass before sheathing it.

"In defeat…there is only death…urgh…" Oleg uttered, before finally collapsing, dead. Lyn took a few steps back, trying to catch her breath. She set her ruffled hair back into place, smoothing it out with her hands.

"Oleg…he was tough" Lyn sighed, catching her breath. "Had I failed to dodge but one axe strike, I would be dead"

"Fantastic, Lyn!" Hector congratulated. "Although I could have worked my way around that axe with less problems"

"You keep talking…" Lyn taunted playfully. But the small respite after the battle wouldn't last long.

Huffing and panting, Oswin appeared from the north of town, appearing very flustered.

"Serra, hurry!" he yelled to Serra, who quickly turned around in concern.

"What, who's hurt?" she asked quickly.

"It's Florina…" Oswin panted. "She's been hit by a poison arrow"

Everybody in the group gasped at the revelation. Members of the group suddenly rushed up to the north where they saw a very unwelcoming sight. They caught sight of Huey, Florina's Pegasus, who appeared to be unhurt. But her saddle and part of her wing was covered in blood, and on the floor beside her hooves was Florina, who was crying weakly in pain. She lay clutching her chest, gasping and crying out to the sky in a slow gathering pool of her own blood. There was an arrow lodged through her shoulder.

Lucius joined the group who ran to her aid to be greeted by the sickly sight. Everybody knelt by her as she wheezed her breaths, struggling to remain alive.

"Serra, can you heal her?" Oswin asked quickly, kneeling to her knee. Lyn quickly cradled her head and whispered to her quietly. Fiora, Florina's sister, had also ran to the scene, kneeling next to Lyn, staining her knees with blood and trying to remain calm amidst the horrifying image in front of her. Lucius took the time to examine the wound; the arrow head had been stuck right in. He realized at that moment that Florina was in fatal danger. The stalk of the arrow was drenched in purple liquid. Poison.

"She's been poisoned" Lucius said calmly, trying not to stir any attention. Serra looked up, preparing her staff.

"Poison?" she exclaimed. Her staff begun to glow as it covered Florina in a glowing light. To everybody's horror, it had little effect.

"The wound….I don't think it's healing!" Serra stuttered, fearful of watching Florina die right before her eyes. Eliwood looked up, trying to address anyone in the group.

"What do we do?" he called. Lucius found his opportunity to heed the call. Recently completing his promotion into a bishop, he had learnt quite a bit about first aid, although he wasn't very good with the actual use of staves.

"Okay, everyone stay calm!" Lucius ordered. "We need to get her inside and remove the arrow head from her chest"

Eliwood nodded and turned to Hector.

"Hector, Oswin!" he called. "Carry her into the inn!"

As Florina was rushed into the inn, the sheets on her bed were stripped as her damaged body was laid on the bare mattress. The arrow hadn't impaled her, but the blood that dripped from her chest stained the mattress. Lucius stood at the back of the room as he watched the town surgeon walk into the room, preparing his medical kit. The procedure was gruesome; Lucius watched as the surgeon dislodged the arrow intact from her chest, causing her to scream and yell in utter agony. Serra had pulled out her most potent staff and used it to try and not only alleviate the pain but also keep Florina alive. Her armor was removed to her bare shirt as they removed the arrow, revealing the wound that resembled a bloody chasm below her shoulder.

Eventually, Lucius was told to leave the room by the surgeon, who had finished his procedure. Serra was to stay up all night and use her staff to close Florina's wound before it was to be bandaged. As Lucius inquired about the antitoxin whilst being hushed out of the room, he was met with grievous response.

"They didn't have any at the store, and my surgery is all out of it"

"But when does your next shipment arrive?"

"Not in a week or so. The vendor's out of them too, we're waiting for the next batch to arrive…"

**And for those who are wondering, I consider Huey to be a female…squeep?**


	2. Chapter 2: Sickness

Chapter 2: Sickness

The remainder of the night passed agonizingly. Lucius's room was next door to the room where Florina was resting after her hasty procedure. The muffled sounds, the hum of Serra's Mend staff, Fiora and Lyn's comforting words, Florina's labored, pained breathing and the occasional wretched sound of her vomiting had forced Lucius awake throughout the night. As much as he could close his eyes, as exhausted he felt by the journey thus far, he could not slip into the blissful realm of slumber.

As the sun began to rise, the group of warriors within the inn begun to stir. Lucius, tired and depressed from the sleepless night decided to get up out of bed, his eyes heavy and his blonde hair ruffled and unkempt. As the wisps of hair intruded in front his eyes and face, he wearily approached the mirror and grabbed the brush, organising his unruly hair back into place. The night had been unkind to him and his mind was set on Florina, with only her pained voice from the night before lingering in his memory. He silently wished that she would recover from her illness.

He decided to go and see her.

Throwing his robes about him, he left his room and took the short, yet somewhat tense steps towards Florina's door. It had been left slightly open for an unknown reason; a small glimpse of the mirror and table could be seen through the crack.

As he was about to knock on the door, he noticed a presence behind him. Before he could turn to address it, it spoke.

"What are you doing, Lucius?" it asked. Lucius quickly spun around to see Raven, all dressed and ready to move, standing in front of him.

"Oh…Lord Raymond…" Lucius said quietly.

"…You look terrible" Raven noted. "You ill or something?"

"No…" Lucius confirmed. "I was kept awake by…well, you know what happened last night"

"You mean Florina?" Raven asked. "Yeah, it was pretty gruesome. I heard they operated on her in the night; that means you must have been in the room next door or something?"

"Yes, that's correct" Lucius confirmed, a little annoyed at Raven's coolness. How could he talk about someone who almost died so easily? Quickly scattering his mind from his irritation, he focused on more pressing matters. "Does Lord Eliwood still wish to leave early?"

"Yep" Raven answered. "I overheard a conversation between him and Lyn about today's proceedings. Lord Eliwood was troubled by what happened, but he still insists that we continue as soon as we can"

"He must really be determined to reach Ostia so quickly…" Lucius said. "Thank you for the information. I'll prepare my equipment soon"

Raven gave Lucius a nod before continuing his way down the corridor and turning the corner, out of Lucius's sight. With Raven now absent, Lucius turned around and looked at the door once again. There was no sound from within the room; complete silence. Taking a breath, Lucius quietly opened the door and peeked in.

There was nobody in the room except Florina herself, who seemed to be in a feverish state. She was asleep, but only barely, her head gleaming with sweat and her expression and complexion pale. Her breathing was quiet but labored and occasionally she was fitful. Lucius slowly walked into the room, not bothering to close the door behind him. Looking upon the sorry state in front of him, he walked to the side of the bed.

He examined Florina a little closer. She was hidden beneath a thick duvet, but Lucius could tell it was the same bed she had been operated on by the specks of blood visible beneath the new mattress spread. It was certainly a nasty sight to see.

"Lucius?"

Lucius quickly looked up to see none other than Eliwood himself walk into the room, looking slightly better than the previous night.

"Oh, Lord Eliwood, how are you feeling today?" he asked, taking a step towards him.

Eliwood cast his gaze down towards Florina.

"I'm feeling a lot better" he said quietly.

"I'm awfully sorry for what's happened to you" Lucius explained. He shook his head sorrowfully to signal the previous night's dread. "And this…I should have gone with her and protected her from this"

"Nobody is to blame" Eliwood cut across quickly. "It's terrible that this has happened to Florina…I only wish we had the time to allow her to rest"

"I understand we must leave, if I'm correct?" Lucius asked.

"Yes" Eliwood answered, sighing. His face showed clear distress at the situation. "You must think that I'm being rather selfish by making this decision, but I…"

"Oh no, Lord Eliwood, you mustn't worry about that!" Lucius pleaded quickly. "The command is yours, and considering the past few days we all know the tragedy that's befallen you. Never cut yourself down, the decisions you make are for the greater good…"

"Thank you Lucius" Eliwood thanked, smiling a little. "It eases my soul to know that what I'm doing is right. But we can't leave Florina here like this…"

"I agree" Lucius agreed. "What shall we do?"

"Oswin and Hector are talking to Fiora about it" Eliwood explained. "I think they plan to mount Florina on her pegasus and let her rest whilst the pegasus carries her, but they need Fiora's consent on everything before we can go ahead with it"

"And is she consenting?" Lucius asked. Eliwood nodded in response.

"She's very brave to allow us to do this, but she knows just as well as everybody else that our situation is grim" Eliwood explained. "We know if we fall under any attack, we're to guard her with our lives. Nobody gets left behind"

At that moment, Lucius noticed a head leaning in through the door, with blue hair and a stern face. It was Hector, who slowly opened the door and walked in.

"Hector, I thought you were…" Eliwood said quickly.

"We've decided to go with the plan" Hector explained. "Her horse carries her whilst we protect her. That way we can continue travelling to Ostia without leaving anyone behind. So we're all waiting on you to give the command to move out"

"That's good" Eliwood sighed. "Thank you Hector. I'll be down in a minute, get Oswin and Dorcas ready to carry Florina, okay?"

Hector nodded to Eliwood and quickly gave Lucius a thumbs up before walking out of the room, leaving the two alone again.

"I suppose I'd better get myself ready as well" Eliwood said, making his way for the door.

"Very well, I'll see you in a moment Lord Eliwood" Lucius said. The two gave each other a quick wave before Lucius was alone. He turned back to Florina, who seemed not to stir whatsoever. Lucius felt a sadness creep up on him as he examined the broken, diseased body in front of her.

"…May St Elimine grant you a swift recovery, Florina…" he said quietly before walking out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3: Farmhouse

Chapter 3: Farmhouse 

Within the hour, the group had departed from the inn and had begun to make their way towards Ostia. Morale amongst the group was mixed; some felt a bit invigorated after their success at last night's battle, whilst others felt disheartened and worried for the state of the severely ill Florina, who was limply sat atop her pegasus, being carried along with the rest of the convoy. Lyn and Fiora, who appeared to be the most concerned for their safety, flanked her at either side.

Lucius was at the back of the convoy with Raven, trying not to catch his robes on the ground. Throughout the entirety of their journey, Lucius couldn't take his eyes away from Florina. He was busily trying to think of ways to ease her pain and sickness, realizing that they were far away from any form of civilization.

"Lucius…" Raven said quietly. "…Hey, Lucius!'

Lucius suddenly heard Raven's impatient voice as it shattered his trail of thought. He looked towards Raven blankly.

"What?" he asked drearily.

"What's wrong, Lucius?" Raven asked quietly. "You haven't said anything all trip. You're usually nagging to me about something…"

"Oh, nothing…" Lucius said quietly, not feeling the need to divulge his thoughts to his companion. "Just a bit tired"

"So am I, but that's no excuse for talking…" Raven countered. "You look as if something's on your mind"

He supposed divulging a little information couldn't be too harmful.

"I'm worried, Lord Raymond" Lucius revealed. "About Florina"

"You mean her sickness?" Raven asked. Lucius nodded his head, to which Raven shot a glance towards the heavily guarded center of the convoy, where Florina was. "It's weird how this is worrying you so much. I haven't seen you freak out over anything like this before"

Lucius frowned, regretting he ever brought the topic up.

"I'm not freaking out" Lucius parried. "I'm simply worried for her safety. We won't find medicine for quite some time and I'm unsure how she'll cope without it"

"You don't get worried when I get hurt, do you?" Raven asked, a little sourly.

"You can take care of yourself, I know that fully well" Lucius responded. "I've been acquaintance you long enough to tell that"

"I guess so…" Raven said quietly. "Well, you're a bishop now, don't you know anything that'll help?"

"Well, I have a good idea on using staves…" Lucius thought. "Problem is we haven't got any restoring staves with us. If I had one of them, then everything would be fine. I could rid of Florina's ailment with one lift of the staff"

"Any other ideas?" Raven asked.

"…When I was in the process of becoming a monk, I learnt a little about first aid and medicine" Lucius said quietly. "If I had the necessary materials, I could make an antitoxin that could help Florina, only if it was to sustain her until we reach Ostia"

"You mean like herbal remedies?" Raven asked. "You do make a killer herbal tea"

"Something like that, yes" Lucius said, humored a little by the comment.

As night drew over, the convoy slowed to a stop and the tents had been set out. It was a lovely warm night, and the campfire only served to light the area. As Lucius and Raven set up their respective tents, Lucius took a good look around him. The entire convoy had been arranged in a circular fashion around the campfire, with small makeshift wooden platforms set up outside the circle for the night watch to use. Scanning the rolling fields around him, his eyes coincidentally fell on Florina again, who was helped into her tent by both Oswin and Hector, the two strongest men in the convoy. Lucius noticed her recoil somewhat as she was put onto her feet before being lowered by the two into her tent, lying on her side. Hector stood up and turned to Lyn, speaking. Lucius could just about hear the conversation:

"She's complaining of a bad stomach now"

"Oh…she's getting worse and worse. Not only is she feverish, but queasy too"

"I'll talk to Eliwood and see if we can double time it to Ostia. Mind you, Eliwood's not in the best shape of his life either. We mustn't forget his father died merely a day or two ago"

"Such a complicated situation…if only someone had an antitoxin"

"We're doing all we can; I relinquished my tent for her so she can have more room to breathe. These tents do get cramped sometimes"

"I know you're doing your best, Hector…I'm just worried"

"She'll be fine. I suggest you set your tent next door to hers so she has easy access to someone she trusts. Say if she vomits during the night"

"Yes, of course"

"Right, I'll go chat to Eliwood. Later, Lyn…hey Oswin! You make sure that fire's burning brightly now! You, me, Marcus and Merlinus are going to take a count on weapons and stuff once that fire's up!"

Lucius turned away from the conversation, noticing something in the distance. There was a faint light on the horizon, just bright enough to notice. It didn't seem to be a torch, but rather the light coming from within a building.

"Lord Raymond…have you got your map on you?" Lucius asked. Raven gave Lucius a skeptical look before grunting and reaching into his rucksack, pulling a map out.

"Here you go" he said. Lucius thanked him before opening the map up and ascertaining the convoy's position on it. He then figured out where north was before moving his finger on the map to where he surmised the light was coming from. It appeared to resemble some sort of farm.

"…Thank you" Lucius mumbled before handing the map back to Raven. Casting another glance at the distant light, he wondered quietly if it held the answer to his growing problem.

As the night grew deep, everybody retired to their tents to try and catch a few winks of sleep. The sun would rise early the following morning and everybody needed as much energy as possible if they could 'double time' it to Ostia.

Lucius, however, was wide-awake. Focusing on the sounds of the night outside of his tent, he could hear the sound of a conversation going on. The voices belonged to Oswin and Dorcas, the night's guards:

"So, have I convinced you yet?"

"…No"

"You would make a fine knight you know. Ostia these days seems to be running short of efficient and goodhearted, strong willed knights. These modern times bring complacency, laziness and a lack of people who will selflessly serve"

"The life of a knight sounds…kinda dull"

"As an Ostian knight, I have never witnessed a dull moment"

"Maybe you should settle down? Get a wife…you don't look as young as some of the others here"

"I have all the time in the world for love, Dorcas"

"Hah hah…very well then. Still, you won't convince me"

"Hmm…I suppose not. Maybe I'll let you think on it a little more"

"Let's talk about something else. This conversation is making me sleepy"

"Very well…can you cook?"

"Cook? Nah, Natalie does all the cooking when I'm around…"

The conversation seemed grab the two's attention fully. Lucius had also placed his tent directly behind Raven's, hidden from the firelight. Slowly, clutching his satchel underneath one arm, he snuck out of his tent and delved into the darkness. Strangely, after all the pre-travel planning Lucius made to ascertain he wasn't going in the wrong direction to the light's source, the light itself was still on.

Minutes passed as Lucius traversed the long, winding fields. The light grew brighter and brighter, and before long Lucius discovered the light was coming from inside the building. He also confirmed that it was a farmhouse; the bleating of the sheep he had awoken was enough to confirm this. Making his way towards the farmhouse, he stepped onto the harder, dustier ground and walked up to the door of the house.

He knocked the door.

There was a short silence before the sounds of footsteps could be heard from inside. The door opened, revealing a gruff, middle-aged farmer, slightly plump and balding, who wore a scruffy set of clothes expected from one of his profession.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice rough from a hard day's work.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you at this hour, sir…" Lucius started.

"You look like a monk…" the farmer said quietly, opening the door fully. "You're not here to convert me?"

"N-no, not at all…" Lucius protested. "I-I wanted to ask if you had any medicine…"

"Medicine?" the farmer asked. "What for?"

"I have a friend who is really sick" Lucius explained. "She was struck by a poisoned arrow last night, and she's very weak from a procedure. What's worse is that the poison is spreading and she's getting more ill by the day…"

"Why have you come to me?" the farmer asked. "I'm just a lowly farmer, tilling the soil to earn my keep. Why do I have to help people like you, with your fancy robes and silly beliefs?"

Lucius started to become annoyed. It was one thing to be refused help, but to be mocked for his religion was another thing entirely.

"Sir, please…" Lucius said, controlling himself. "I'm simply asking if I could borrow some medicine, if only a little…"

The farmer looked to the floor and let out a large sigh. Looking back up, he focused his eyes.

"Sorry, ain't got none" he revealed. Lucius felt his heart sink at the revelation. He had walked so far, stayed up all night and risked fatigue just to get some medicine, only to be denied. He turned to his side, exhausting a crushed breath.

"Oh no…" he said quietly. "…What will Lord Eliwood think of this? I come out here, out of my safety, for nothing…he won't be very happy…"

"…Wait a sec" the farmer said suddenly. "Did you say Lord Eliwood? As in the Pheraean prince?"

Lucius turned around to look at the farmer, who seemed a bit skeptical.

"Yes, I did" Lucius said impatiently.

"…I haven't got any medicine" the farmer confirmed. "But I have an abundance of herbs you can take for free. I don't know if you're any good at your herbals, but I have a variety of different plants and herbs growing in my greenhouses. If you're truly with Lord Eliwood, then I may as well extend my services to him"

Lucius felt his spirit rise suddenly. He brought his hands together in glee.

"Oh, thank you so much!" he said. "Your kindness will not be forgotten!"

The farmer waved his hand as if to calmly swat the compliment away.

"It's nothing…" he said. "Sorry 'bout what I said before. I thought you were some freeloader. Now if you'd follow me…"

**...No, they're not talking about weed.**


	4. Chapter 4: Remedy

Chapter 4: Remedy

As Lucius returned to the camp, he saw to his amusement that both Dorcas and Oswin had fallen fast asleep, sat upright, holding their weapons. He suppressed a laugh as he remembered their earlier conversation before focusing his attention towards Florina's tent. Walking towards it, he reached his hand into his satchel, feeling for the bottle inside. The remedy that would hopefully cure Florina.

Kneeling, he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous as he cast his gaze upon Florina, who appeared to be awake. She was shivering, and by the putrid smell within the tent, it was clear that she had thrown up and her tainted breath was condensing within the tent.

"…Florina" Lucius whispered. "Are you awake?"

"…Lu…Lucius…." Florina uttered, her shaky voice torn by her shivering. "I-It's so c-cold…what are you doing…i-in my tent?" Lucius moved into the tent, kneeling beside Florina. She was suffering from cold sweats and her eyes seemed to be staring somewhat blankly towards him.

"Oh my…you look horrible" Lucius said quietly. "I…I brought some medicine for you"

Lucius noticed Florina's expression change into one of slight hope.

"M-medicine?" she asked. "Wh-where did you…get it?" Lucius took the time to pull out the small bottle in his satchel. It was full of a clear, yet slightly foggy liquid. The bottle was the size of his palm as he held it for Florina to see.

"It's…something I've made myself" Lucius explained. "It's a remedy made from bergamot and vetiver"

Florina swallowed her saliva before reaching her hands to clutch the top of her duvet.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I'll explain to you now" Lucius said. "But first, I need you to sit up"

Florina understood the command and with Lucius's help, she hoisted herself up into a sitting position. She bent over slightly, holding her stomach and her head, her hair all messed up, dirty and uncombed.

"A-ah…" she wheezed. "I'm in…so much p-pain…"

"You'll feel better after this, I'm sure" Lucius comforted. "Maybe if I explain a little about this medicine, you'll feel more inclined to take it?" He watched as Florina clutched her stomach, breathing in sharply, clearly in pain. Wincing, she nodded vigorously. Lucius prepared the medicine.

"Now, bergamot is a herb that has healing properties" he begun, attempting to uncork the bottle It contains chemicals that'll reduce your pain and nausea. The vetiver is there for the taste really, because bergamot by itself doesn't have a particularly pleasant taste. I mixed it with a little water and I want you to drink some of this for me. That way it can enter your blood stream and begin its healing process"

"H-how sure are you that this…w-will work?" Florina asked.

"It's a medicine I learnt how to create when I was training to be a monk" Lucius explained. "With a few different ingredients and some hot heat, it makes a very nice medicinal tea as well. Here, please drink a portion of this for me…"

Lucius handed Florina the bottle, who took it and started to drink it without doubt or hesitation. She managed to drink a third of it before Lucius signaled for her to stop. She drank without difficulty, although she started to cough after she swallowed the last of what was in her mouth. Lucius handed her a towel to wipe her mouth before he helped her back into her resting position, listening to her exhale as she was lowered.

"That….tasted nice…" she said quietly, sighing. Already her shivers were reducing.

"I'm not sure how well this will work" Lucius said. "It might cure you instantly, or it might take a few doses. What's important is that you're well enough to make it to Ostia. They'll have top-of-the-range medicine for you there and you'll be better in no time"

"Lucius…..thank you" Florina said. "Y-you're…so kind…a-ah!"

Florina's face scrunched in pain as she jolted suddenly.

"Are you okay?" Lucius asked, flustered by the sudden movement.

"Nng….my leg….it really hurts…" Florina uttered. Lucius shot his gaze towards her leg, which was bare and exposed. He realized she was sleeping in her armor.

"In what way?" Lucius asked. He then realized something was wrong with her leg. He noticed the severe bruise on her leg, which had previously been partly disguised by the darkness of the night, and a slight deformity. Placing his hand softly against her shin, he could feel the abnormality. The surface of her shin was bumpy and uneven, as if something had snapped within. His knowledge of health, however limited, was enough to identify the problem.

"Your leg…it's fractured" he revealed. He saw Florina gasp in pain as he placed his hand upon the break. Lucius felt slightly strange at touching her leg, but the pure fact that it was for a medical purpose eliminated any doubt or thought in his mind.

"Please, don't move" Lucius asked, half pleading with urgency. "It'll only make the break worse. Stay completely still, and tomorrow morning we'll sort it out for you. I'm sure Serra can do something about it"

Florina laid her head back on her cushion, sighing.

"I'm sorry I'm such trouble…" she said quietly, somewhat upset by it all.

"Think nothing of it, Florina" Lucius whispered back. "I only want to see everybody happy and healthy. Good night, and rest well" he said. He placed the remedy back into his satchel before shuffling out of the tent and back out into the open.

As he stood back onto his feet, he noticed Eliwood standing outside, sat near the fire. Oswin and Dorcas were still fast asleep. As Lucius emerged from the tent, Eliwood noticed his presence at once and walked up to him.

"Lucius!" he said with attention. "What are you doing in Florina's tent?"

Lucius felt a pang of embarrassment as he examined the situation from another view, realizing how strange it seemed.

"I'm sorry, Lord Eliwood…" he said suddenly. "I was giving Florina some medicine…"

"Medicine?" Eliwood asked. "We don't have any medicine, what are you talking about?"

Lucius hastily pulled out the bottle of bergamot and vetiver, handing it to Eliwood to examine.

"This" he said. Eliwood looked at the bottle in confusion, lifting it up to his eyes, spying the strange liquid within. His face was a mixture of curiosity and a growing bother as he lowered and looked back at Lucius with a partially accusing stare.

"…You had this on your person all along, didn't you?" he asked, an annoyed expression creeping on his face.

"No, no!" Lucius protested. "I went to a farm house not far from here and they had a lot of spare herbs I could use. I…created the medicine there before coming back here and giving some of it to Florina" Eliwood continued to stare at Lucius, before looked back down at the bottle.

"…I trust you Lucius" Eliwood said kindly, his annoyed expression fading into a calm one as he looked back up. "…You made this? I'm very impressed!"

"O-oh…thank you, Lord Eliwood" Lucius responded, humbled by the comment.

"Actually…may I smell it?" Eliwood asked.

"Of course" Lucius replied, a little confused at the request. Smell it? He watched as Eliwood unplugged the bottle and took a deep smell of the tonic within, closing his eyes to focus on the aroma. A smile came across his face before he opened his eyes again.

"…Vetiver?" he asked. Lucius was impressed that he detected the smell.

"It is, Lord Eliwood" he confirmed. "But it's only the smell. The medicine is primarily bergamot, mixed with water"

Eliwood closed the bottle, looking at the medicine again.

"I knew I recognized the scent from somewhere…" Eliwood said, his face suddenly straining with sadness. "…Bergamot and vetiver. My father…he used to give me the very same medicine when I was feeling ill myself" he revealed.

"Truly?" Lucius asked, taking a step closer. Eliwood nodded in response, handing the bottle back to Lucius.

"Hah, I remember the first time I had it, when I was five…" Eliwood recalled. "I had a nasty fever and I remember seeing my father walk in with a bottle of the remedy and a spoon. He said 'Son, I brought you some medicine, and I want you to drink down every spoonful! No protesting!' and he would open the bottle. I cried a lot in protest before I had my first taste of it, but after that, my father had little trouble spoon-feeding me the remedy. Since then, every time I was ill, he would bring the medicine for me to take. Why, I recollect a few days before he vanished, I had injured myself sparring with Marcus…"

Eliwood's face turned into a wistful stare as he retold the fond memory.

"I had a vulnerary to heal the wound, but I felt a little dizzy from the pain, not to forget a little depressed from not being able to hold my own in a sparring session. I went to my father for some medicine and the attendants went to fetch it. Then…" Eliwood started to snigger, causing Lucius to chuckle a little as well. "When my father was given the bottle, as I reached for it, he grabbed my arm and pulled me onto his lap!"

"Really?" Lucius asked, stifling a giggle. Eliwood giggled as well, shaking his head.

"He pulled with such force that I fell right onto his lap. I couldn't believe what my father was attempting, but he readied the spoon he fed mw with as a child and begun to spoon feed me right there on the throne! My mother and all the attendants couldn't stop laughing, it really cheered me up! Ah, it will remain such a fond memory…"

His body drooped slightly in sadness. Lucius stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on Eliwood's shoulder.

"I'm very sorry for what happened…" he said quietly. "It must be awful for you to go through such a tragedy" Lucius suddenly realized a connection between the two, and although the memory didn't seem to affect Lucius as much, he decided to divulge it for Eliwood's sake. "…If it makes you feel any better, my father is dead as well"

Eliwood looked up, a little surprised.

"Really?" he asked.

"It was awful…" Lucius recollected. "I remember finding him….dead. He had been murdered…"

"Oh Lucius, I'm very sorry" Eliwood said quickly.

"It's okay" Lucius responded. "It's been a very long time since then. My faith…it has soothed the painful memories. I can only pray you recover swiftly from yours"

"Thank you Lucius" Eliwood said, standing up straight. "I was hoping you wouldn't catch me out here. I couldn't show a weakened face to all of you here. It would hurt morale"

"It's okay, Lord Eliwood" Lucius reminded. "We're all a team, remember!"

"…I also want to thank you for your kindness towards Florina" Eliwood added. Lucius felt slightly hot under his collar as Florina's name was mentioned. Was he to become famed for this?

"It really is nothing, Lord Eliwood, I only wanted to see her pain eased" Lucius explained. "I would have done the same for anyone who had been hit by that arrow last night"

"I understand" Eliwood said, looking towards the horizon. A faint light could be seen rising.

"It'll be dawn soon" he said. "I'll wake up our 'night guards' and start preparing the convoy. Thank you for all of this, Lucius" he said, nodding before going to scold Oswin and Dorcas for sleeping on the job. Lucius nodded with a smile before turning to loom at Florina's tent. He wished quietly that nobody would make a big fuss out of his deed and went back to his tent to prepare for the continuing journey ahead. They would reach Ostia during their next day of travelling…


	5. Chapter 5: Respite

Chapter 5: Respite

Upon reaching Ostia, the situation was made clear to the entire group: they would wait within the castle until Lord Uther, Hector's brother and the Marquess of Ostia, arrived, where they would plan their next move. Florina was taken to the castle's infirmaries as quickly as they could upon arrival and was given one of the most lavish rooms in the castle to recover.

Lucius was placed in a small, yet comfortable room with a fantastic view of the fields outside. He wasn't sure how long it would take for Lord Uther to arrive, but the room was sufficient. He knew he had to clean himself from days of sweat due to travelling, and set about his personal priority list.

As he was unpacking his equipment, there was a knock on his door.

"Come in" Lucius called. The door opened, and Lyn walked into the room, half closing the door behind her.

"Hello, Lucius" Lyn greeted. Lucius gave Lyn a warm smile.

"How are you, Lyn?" he asked.

"I'm very well, thank you" Lyn replied. "I wanted to talk to you about Florina…"

Lucius felt a little strange upon hearing Florina's name. He thought about the previous night when Eliwood had thanked him for his aid. Was Lyn going to do the same? How many people knew of his actions that night?

"Do you wish to thank me for last night?" he asked. Lyn seemed to fall silent, having been predicted. "Please, there is no need to thank me. I was only doing what I thought was best"

"Yes, it was very kind of you…" Lyn replied. "The antitoxins here have worked very well; I'm glad you spotted the fracture though. Had we not known, we may have endangered her health even further…"

"I'm glad she is safe" Lucius responded, nodding reflectively.

"That reminds me…" Lyn said quietly. "She wants to see you"

Lyn watched as Lucius's attention was caught upon her words. His eyes opened up a little more and his fatigue from his sleepless night seemed to wane a little.

"…She wants to see me?" he asked. Lyn nodded, confirming the question.

"Only for your company, I think" Lyn said. "If you're not too busy, I don't think she'll keep you for long" Lyn explained. Lucius released his smile again, feeling quite happy to oblige.

"I'll gladly" he said. "Thank you. Although…I only remembered recently, isn't she afraid of men?"

"She is, but not with you" Lyn explained. "You…you're a lot kinder than the other men in our group. Not to say that they aren't kind as well, but you know…you have the big lugs in hulking armor, and then we have people like you and Canas, for example. Florina…doesn't really find masculinity very appealing at times…"

Lucius started to blush, realizing what Lyn was actually saying. As much as she tried to veil her words, the meaning came out very clearly. Lyn noticed this at once and brought a hand to her mouth as if to try and silence herself.

"Oh, I'm so sorry…" she said out of exasperation. "I didn't mean to draw attention to your appearance…I'm really sorry"

Lucius started to giggle, unable to feel offended by Lyn's sudden repentance.

"It's okay" he said. "Never you mind, Lyn. I shall go and see Florina now…"

A short walk later and Lucius found himself knocking on a large wooden door, far more lavish than his own.

"C-come in…" a meek voice called. Lucius pushed against the large door and popped his head in through the door. His sight beheld the large room, with the intricate tapestry that was hung upon the walls. There was a soft red carpet on the floor and a large dressing table and mirror up on one side of the wall. There were comfy looking seats placed around the room, quite a few next to the large lavish bed that was the centerpiece of the room. Lying within the great bed, looking somewhat out of place, was Florina, who was wide awake and propped up against the large, red and purple silk pillows. She seemed to be dwarfed by the extravagant bed, her white gown contrasting with the deep purple of the duvet.

"Good afternoon, Florina" Lucius said, walking in and closing the door behind him.

"Oh…good afternoon, Lucius" Florina said. Her expression was shyer than the previous night. The sweat from her forehead was absent and her hair was neatly combed, with no loose strings hanging from her head. Her face was less pale and she looked to be a lot healthier and responsive as well, which warmed Lucius's heart.

Lucius took one of the seats and moved it towards the edge of the bed, sitting down in it.

"How are you feeling?" Lucius asked.

"I'm feeling better" she said. "I don't feel so ill anymore…"

"Last night must have been terrible for you" Lucius recalled. "That reminds me, how is your leg?"

Florina sighed, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"The doctors say I can't move on it for a day or two" she said. "I hate being bed ridden….i f-feel so useless…"

Lucius suddenly realized that Florina had become upset. It wasn't rare to see Florina in tears about something, but realizing he was the only audience to her show of grief, he suddenly became unsettled.

"Oh no, please don't cry!" Lucius pleaded.

Florina managed to control herself, but was still visibly upset. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I-I…all I do is get i-injured…*sniff*…and ill. I never make a-anything…better…"

"That's not true!" Lucius responded, desperate to raise her hopes. "You are just as crucial to this group as everybody else is! I mean, you and Fiora are the only pegasus knights of the group, correct? Nobody else could do such excellent recon like you and your sister can, and recon is very important!"

Florina had calmed down, reducing her tears to sniffles. She shook her head in sheer disappointment.

"i-I just hate being ill…" she said quietly.

"We all do…" Lucius said in his most comforting voice. "But the good thing is you'll be well soon, and ready to continue. Don't be down…"

"Lucius…why are you being so kind to me?" Florina asked. The question again. But Lucius didn't know how to answer it this time, even if it was asked in a different way. Why did he want to treat Florina so well? He always did hate seeing someone in such a vulnerable state. After all, he spent a lot of his childhood in the same sort of situation. An orphan.

"…I don't like seeing anyone suffering" Lucius said quietly. "I suppose it's as simple as that"

There was a small silence between the two of them at that moment. Lucius looked up to see that Florina was looking down at her sheets, still looking somewhat miserable. Lucius could tell she was still feeling ill. An awkward tension built within the room. Lucius knew he had to dissolve it, lest it grow.

"…Do you want another drink of my medicine?" Lucius asked. Florina looked towards Lucius, a slight energy sparking inside her.

"Yes please" she replied politely. Lucius smiled and reached into his satchel, pulling the bottle of bergamot and vetiver solution from within. He handed it to Florina, who took it calmly, yet energetically from his hand. Opening the bottle, she took a few gulps of the medicine before pulling the bottle away. Lucius appreciated her reservation of the medicine, instead of gulping it down greedily she drunk it sensibly. Lucius was always fond of anyone who was sensible with even the smallest things.

"…Mmm, it's delicious" she said, smiling. The smile was warm, real, not like the smiles one would get in a polite conversation. Her smile was genuine; her eyes were closed in satisfaction.

The bottle was handed back to Lucius, who pocketed it in his satchel.

"I'm glad you enjoy it" Lucius said giggling a little. "I thought medicine wasn't supposed to be tasty!"

Florina joined Lucius with her small giggle. Lucius sighed after his own laughter, clearing his throat quietly.

"So how are the doctors going to fix your fracture?" he asked.

"Oh, the doctors aren't fixing it, Serra is" Florina explained. "She's going to schedule a session of repair soon with her healing staves"

"That should be effective" Lucius noted. At that point, the door suddenly opened and Eliwood came rushing in.

"Lord Eliwood!" Lucius said, standing up quickly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt" he said quickly. "Lucius, we need you to join the rest of the group"

"What's happening?" Lucius asked worriedly.

"Nils has collapsed" Eliwood explained. "And even worse, we're surrounded by mercenaries who are out for our blood"

The familiar sense of pre-battle panic and nerves ran rife through Lucius's body again. He calmed himself as much as he could, ready to ask a question.

"Are they the same mercenaries that tried to corner us at Lahus?" Lucius asked.

"That's right" Eliwood confirmed. "And their leader, Eubans, is with them. We need to prepare our defense and counter attack"

"Very well, I'll be there" Lucius said. "What about Florina?"

"I've had a look at the castle plans, the enemy can only get into the castle via the main entrance, which is where we've deployed ourselves. But to be safe, I've asked for a few knights to stand guard outside the doors"

"Th-thank you, Lord Eliwood" Florina stuttered, visibly shaken by the sudden attack. Eliwood quickly left the room, with Lucius following. But before he could vanish from sight, he turned around and took one more look at Florina.

"Please, rest yourself" Lucius explained. "I'll make sure they don't get through"

And without another word, Lucius focused himself for battle, moving down towards the main hall, where the enemy was waiting…


	6. Chapter 6: Desert

Chapter 6: Desert

The castle had recently been defended by a vicious attack from Eubans and his mercenaries. The group was forced to fight wave upon wave of enemies that surged in through the main gates, whilst facing off resistance from the side entrances. During the conflict, they met an unwilling wyvern rider named Heath, who took the opportunity to defect from the mercenary side. Joining the defense, he aided the rest of the group as they fought off the mercenaries. Hector was tempted to move out of the castle and fight Eubans himself, but by Lord Eliwood's order, he stayed put within the castle, aiding the defense.

Eventually, the mercenaries were forced to retreat upon Lord Uther's arrival. As soon as he arrived, the lords had an audience with him, in which they received their next instruction: to head to the desert. Uther suggested they stayed the night to stock up on weapons and rest before setting on the arduous journey towards the Nabata Desert.

That night, Lucius reached the next item on his priority list, a wash. Upon inquiring about where this could be done, a pair of servants granted his wish at once by bringing a large tub of steaming hot water to his room, decked out with a bar of soap and a sponge. Undressing, he slowly lowered himself into the luxurious water, almost convinced that the water had some sort of healing property within it. He exhaled a sigh of relief as he sunk into the water, the sweat and muck of many days dissipating from his body at once.

As he started to rub himself of dirt with the soaped up sponge, his mind begun to wander. A lot had happened to him in the last few days. Before Florina's incident, the most attention Lucius would ever get was in battle, if he happened to be quickly at someone's side to protect them from a potentially fatal blow. He would be quickly thanked and would make quick chat with the person he aided after the battle, strengthening relations. But his actions with Florina seemed to spark some sort of universal praise within the group. Already he had had two lords come to thank him for what he did; he secretly hoped that nobody else really knew for the sake of solitude.

His mind then turned towards Florina's question. Why did he go to so much trouble to help her? He knew his training as a monk taught him to always help those in need. But wasn't everyone in the group in need at some point or another? He didn't recall going to such depths to help anyone else in the group.

And it felt good.

It truly did, he thought. He wasn't going to convince himself that this was bad for him. He had strengthened the bond between himself and another member of the group, and everybody in the group seemed to be grateful for it. Of course it wasn't going to go to his head: otherwise he would have become complacent. And Lucius knew himself well enough to know that he'd never get complacent. With anyone.

Was this going to be the end of it? Were they to set off to Nabata Desert tomorrow without another word spoken on the topic? Will Florina even be well enough to go? If she had to stay, would he stay as well, or would he go and help Lord Eliwood? These were the questions that bugged Lucius as he sat within the tub of slowly cooling water.

But one question rose above all else.

"_What does she think of me?"_

The following morning came all too quickly. Like a flash, the group was out of Ostia and was travelling swiftly towards the southwest, where the unforgiving sands of Nabata were waiting for them. Days passed quickly, and throughout every day trip, Lucius would glance over to Florina, who appeared to be very well, although her leg was still in a cast. Her healing sessions with Serra would continue until she could run on her leg without any trouble, and a day before arriving at the desert, Lucius watched from the distance as Florina's cast was removed, finally granting her the freedom she wanted.

All through those trips, as Lucius gave his involuntary glances towards Florina, he couldn't help but notice the glances being returned to him by a pair of grateful, almost gleeful eyes. Lucius would quickly look back forward, almost stunned at this fact. It was too strange for him to continue his glance, and would have to turn his head to think about it before sneaking another look.

Eventually, they reached the desert. The grassy grounds slowly dissipated into a sandy wasteland, the calming sound of the birds and the bees replaced with the somewhat barren sound of the small, yet booming winds of the vast desert. The group's progress slowed from a quick march into an amble walk as they tried to traverse their way through the sands. The temperature around them increased significantly and the group started to dig their way into their supplies of water, hoping that they could find an area in the desert somewhere where they could refill their supply.

As the cold, cold night passed into the heated morning, the group set out again, the movement continually hindered by the sands. Everything seemed to be moving along normally, but the group started to spread thinner and thinner in formation, the strong willed fighters at the front charging their way through the sand whilst the lesser spirited lagged behind. And who else happened to be at the back of the pack than Florina herself. But she wasn't very fatigued; rather her pegasus was having trouble moving through the sand. Lucius, who's desert sandals made traversing the sand almost as easy as walking solid ground, could hear the commotion at the back between Florina and her sister.

"Huey's having trouble moving, Fiora!"

"Did you forget to take her horseshoes off? They're most likely getting caught in the sand"

"She can walk with them…but she's getting flustered by the heat!"

"Well, how is it that I'm having no problem then?"

"Fiora…wh-why are you being so nasty?"

"I'm not being nasty, I'm just saying we can't lag behind or Lord Eliwood won't be best pleased. And neither will Lord Hector, now hurry up!"

"…Poor girl"

The final voice was an entirely new one that emerged from behind Lucius's head. Lucius half jumped in fright and spun around to see Kent standing before him, looking as serious as usual.

"Oh…Sir Kent" Lucius said quietly. "I didn't see you there"

"Sorry, Father Lucius" Kent apologized. "I only wanted to get a better view of what's happening at the back. Lord Eliwood is worried that the convoy is becoming thinner and poorly guarded" he explained.

"She look as if she needs help" Lucius said to Kent. Kent nodded in agreement, settling his own horse.

"I can relate" he mumbled. "Trying to move horses across the sand is very hard. If only we could have traded for camels, hm?"

The two the started to laugh at the joke, although not heartily that the convoy could hear them. Kent cleared his throat again; it was clear that his throat was dry.

"Still, I wish I could help, but moving my own horse takes just as much effort" he explained. "Plus this heat doesn't make things any easier for anyone…"

Lucius turned back to see Florina continually struggling. It appeared that everyone in the group was too busy trying to keep their own sanity in the sun by moving on ahead. It could hardly be blamed on selfishness; the sun **was **very hot. But could they just leave Florina behind, after going through all the effort to bring her to the desert in the first place. These thoughts inspired Lucius to move down towards her.

As he walked closer, Florina noticed his presence at once.

"O-Oh, Lucius!" she called. "I-I need help!"

"How can I aid you, Florina?" Lucius asked, suddenly walking towards Florina and Huey with more urgency.

"C-could you grab the reins on Huey's left side?" she asked. "Just so she can calm down…"

Lucius nodded and walked towards the pegasus, reaching his arms out and grabbing the leather reins that hung from Huey's neck. With control at both sides of the reins, Huey started to calm down.

"Th-thank you…" Florina stuttered, obviously flustered by the whole experience. She was closing towards a break down again; Lucius could read by her worried gaze towards the slowly departing convoy ahead of them that she didn't want to be left behind. He didn't want her breaking down again.

"Don't be flustered" Lucius comforted, looking over Huey's arched back to Florina. Her head was just about fully visible from across the pegasus, trying to suppress her tears. "They won't leave us behind. Lord Eliwood is incapable of such cruelty, I'm sure"

"B-But…why are they…why are th-they leaving without me?" Florina whimpered.

"It's very hot out here, Florina" Lucius explained, walking a bit further so he was stood a few inches in front of Huey. Florina also stepped up towards the front in order to gain better control of Huey. "It's not that they want to leave you behind, it's just that they want to find Archsage Athos's abode as fast as they can. If they turned around and found that you were gone, they would stop and look for you, that's for sure…"

Florina wiped her eyes from her almost leaked tears, looking meekly up towards Lucius.

"A-are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive" Lucius replied, smiling. "I wouldn't leave you behind anyway. Now why don't you give me a smile, hm?"

Florina looked down before allowing herself to smile, warming Lucius inside. It was nice to see her smile, he thought. She had such a clean, pure face and a smile that was unable to conceal a lie. Her genuine smile.

"Thank you" she said quietly. "I-I'm a lot of trouble, aren't I?"

"You don't have to worry" Lucius said. "I'm always here to help with any trouble"

The two continued to walk, but the silence was hard to live with, especially with the sun beating hot rays down on them. Florina wiped the sweat off of her forehead before gulping her saliva, trying to compensate for the lack of water. She looked to see Lucius walking as if there wasn't a problem.

"How do you do it?" Florina asked, panting.

"How do I do what?" Lucius asked back, offering another smile.

"The heat…it's so hot…but you're not drinking any water or tripping in the sand…"

Lucius chuckled a little looking down at his sandals. His robes brushed against the dry sand delicately, leaving a trail behind him.

"Well, I have my sandals to thank for making the sand easy to walk on" Lucius chuckled. "But as far as the heat…well, I think it's something to do with a magic user's body" he said.

"Really?" Florina wondered "How so?"

"Well Florina…" Lucius begun. "When you study the magic arts, your body becomes trained and accustomed to being able to harness and manipulate the very forces of nature" he explained. "So for instance, the sun's rays are primarily light, correct?"

"So it's like…your body's been changed to contain and use this light energy?" Florina asked.

"Mm…something like that" Lucius replied. "If the sun was just a heat source, I would shrivel by now. You know that anima arts hold an advantage over light arts, right?" Lucius asked. Florina replied with a nod, prompting Lucius to continue. "Luckily, the sun is emitting a mixed source of light and heat, which as a result allows me to resist it quite well"

"Wow…that's something" Florina said quietly, almost as if she was off on another planet. Lucius felt a little flattered, rubbing the back of his head. His hair was already beginning to frizz in the heat. "I wish I had those kinds of things. But I'm just a pegasus knight…I haven't got any real perks"

"That's not true, surely?" Lucius asked, turning his head to Florina again. "You have fantastic resistance against magic when it comes to battle! I mean, I've seen you sent into a sea of mages and you came out unscathed!"

Florina looked at Lucius, utterly flattered by the compliment. Lucius then watched as she looked away, unable to hide a small smile. She was blushing.

"O-oh, well…" she said quietly. "I-I'm okay at that…I guess…"

Lucius didn't know it, but he was flushed as well. Was it the heat?

"That and you have…well, remember what I said about reconnoitering?" he explained. "I couldn't do that. Why, I don't think I could fly a pegasus straight, even if I tried!"

Lucius listened to the involuntary giggle Florina released. She placed a hand to her mouth to try and control it, before looking back up towards Lucius.

"You make it sound so helpful" she said. "But if I have good resistance, then why is it so _hot _out here?" she asked.

"There's a subtle difference between nature's forces and the magic powers people conjure" Lucius explained quickly. "Only the greatest mages alive could perfectly manipulate the forces of nature without actually altering its state. The magic enemies use on you may be condensed and created to hurt, but it's not the same as the true forces of nature. It's...quite complicated really, heh..."

Florina was confused by the explanation but giggled again before she started to cough. Quickly reaching into her satchel, she produced her water flash. Releasing the cap and bringing it to her lips, her eyes focused on the brown leather as she tilted it. Lucius watched as her eyes strained slightly as she tilted the flask more vertically. She shook it, forcing a few drops of water out of it. Disappointment once again reigned in her expression.

"Oh…no more water" she sighed. Lucius didn't know how he felt then. As he watched her desperation, her urge to drink water, he felt that same feeling again.

He wanted to help her.

Almost without thinking, he reached into his own satchel and brought his own, full water flask out.

"Here…" he said quietly. "Have a drink out of mine"

Florina looked at the offering, her expression indescribable, before softly taking the flask and opening. She took a tiny sip out of it, relishing the water. Lucius started to laugh.

"Go on, have some more!" he urged.

"But won't you…" Florina protested suddenly.

"I'm fine" Lucius responded quickly, silencing her protest. After a short pause, he continued. "I can take the heat. Drink as much as you want to"

There was a pregnant pause between the two of them before Florina looked back to the flash and started to gulp the water down. There was a look of utter pleasure on her face as she almost wolfed the cool water down her throat. She stopped suddenly; almost shocked and ashamed she displayed such greed in front of Lucius, before meekly passing the half emptied flask back to him.

"Th-thanks…" she said quietly. Lucius didn't feel the need to say anything more, a smile would do. Placing the flash back in his satchel, he felt the air of tension and doubt completely removed. At that moment to Lucius, they were merely strolling through the desert without a single fear or worry in the world…


	7. Chapter 7: Family

Chapter 7: Family

_Dear diary,_

_ I think I've finally gotten over my illness. I managed to make it through today without any medicine, and I can walk on the sand without my leg hurting anymore. I'm going to make extra sure that I don't get struck by another arrow…I'll never forget the near death experience and the lesson I learnt because of it._

_ We recently fought a fight in the desert against this group of bandits. I was made to fight the mages again, but what Lucius told me a couple of nights ago really made me think. I actually felt like I wasn't just being deployed thoughtlessly, I felt I contributed to the fight this time._

_ Come to think of it, Lucius has been really nice to me lately. Not to say he's always nice, I've seen him help a lot of people out. But when I was struggling with Huey, when even my sister told me to speed up, he came to help me. Ever since now, every time we set out, he's been there, waiting for me so we can go together, leading Huey through the sand. Nobody's ever done that for me._

_ He's such a good friend…_

The following morning would be the day they would exit the desert. There was a new tension amidst the group now. They were heading for Bern, the strongest military based country in all of Elibe. Everybody knew of the danger that was waiting ahead for him or her, conscious of the fact that getting caught in Bern would be very, **very **bad. It was unlike any tension that had faced them before. They knew now the challenge was brought to a new level, and whether it could be met or not was yet to be determined.

Lucius had finished organizing his satchel for the coming morning and lay his head down on his pillow. He decided to sleep in his robes to ward the cold night away from him; the tent offered him little shelter.

As he attempted to sleep, the cold kept him from falling into a deep slumber. He was half aware of his surroundings as he slept; lightly and uncomfortably.

Nearby, he could hear voices outside of his tent. The half of his consciousness that was still present tuned into the conversation, a skill he had developed quite well over the past few days. He recognized one of the voices immediately.

"Raymond? What are you doing here?"

"I'm the night watch tonight, remember? You should be sleeping, Priscilla"

"I know…b-but I can't"

"Don't tell me you're worried about the next few days"

"…I am…"

"…Come here. Sit next to me"

"Aren't you cold?"

"No…well, a little. But it doesn't bother me. I have other things on my mind"

"Oh Raymond…you still can't be holding your grudge?"

"I will have my revenge"

"Brother, this is the attitude which is going to bring you down! You can't be trapping yourself in this mentality! It's poisonous!"

"Haven't you forgotten what that oaf's merciless brother did? Him and his whole house?"

"No, but…"

"Then why do you leap to their defense? Some sister you are!"

"Raymond, enough. You know better than anyone that I would leap to your side if I were forced to choose between you and anything else. You're all I have in this world now...the same goes for you"

"I know…I just can't be in a group with someone I can't trust"

"I'm not saying you should forget about it. Just…just wait until this is all over. For me?"

"Fine. For you"

"Thank you…"

"…"

"…"

"…If you intend to stay out here, the sit a little closer to me, Priscilla. The night will only grow colder"

"Okay, Brother…"

Florina woke up to the sight of her opened diary. Instantly, as soon as she noticed the unusual image (diaries were meant to be closed and locked), she sprung up from her slumber and picked up the diary, scanning the pages after her entry to see if anyone had vandalized or written in it. Flicking to her previous entry, Florina quickly realized why the diary was open. The last sentence trailed into a descending line, the stroke of her pencil becoming weaker as it trailed down to the bottom of the paper. She had fallen asleep whilst updating her journal. The last sentence read, "He's such a good friend…"

Sighing, Florina closed the diary, regretting not sleeping well the past few nights. It was her fatigue from the desert that had caused her to ruin her diary entry, wasting valuable paper in the meantime. The diary had roughly a hundred entries in it, written at various different intervals in the past few years. The diary, which was a gift from Florina's mother before she undertook her training as a pegasus knight, was very expensive; therefore such a slumberous mistake was considered by Florina to be a serious error.

Binding the diary with the turquoise silk ribbon attacked to the cover, she placed it back in her satchel before peeking outside of her tent to see what was happening. Some members of the group had already woken up and were busy eating their breakfast rations, drinking the last of the desert-designated water. Rubbing her eyes from her slumber, she stepped out of her tent with her own provisions. The sun had begun to rise and the cold of the night was slowly being replaced by the blaze of the day. It was the one moment in the desert that actually felt quite good to be in.

Sitting by herself on a rock nearby the extinguished fireplace, she started to eat away at her breakfast. Quietly peeking around, she saw that Lucius was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, her peeking had caught Fiora's attention, who had already eaten and was surveying her own pegasus's meal. She smiled before walking over to Florina.

"Good morning!" she called. Florina smiled a little, but she didn't forget what her sister had done days ago at the beginning of the journey in Nabata. Florina's state of mind projected clearly to her sister, who sensed the slight withdrawal and saddened at the change of expression.

"Good morning Fiora…" Florina said quietly. Fiora, who was slight taller in stature to Florina, sat down closely next to her, clearing her throat.

"Um…I know you don't think very much of me right now" Fiora begun. Florina's eyes opened suddenly, almost spitting out the chunk of bread she had in her mouth.

"No, that's not true!' she protested, her mouth still half full. Fiora shook her head slowly.

"You have every right to be mad at me, sister…" Fiora continued. "What I did a few days ago, refusing to help you when you needed it…it wasn't right of me"

"But…b-but" Florina stuttered, trying to calm her sister's slight anguish. "I-I'm not mad…"

Fiora looked to her younger sister and smiled, waving her hair away from her face. She put an arm around Florina. Who leant into her sister's chest, sighing.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry" she said. "I….I think the heat of the desert is getting to me. I'll be glad when we can get out of here"

"Me too…"

Florina watched as Fiora looked towards the distance.

"…Do you miss home?" Fiora asked. Florina quickly cast her mind back to her hometown in Ilia. She thought of the snow tipped mountains, the small communities, and her little village where she lived with her sisters. She also thought about the large castle near her town where she underwent her training.

"…I do" Florina replied quietly, still resting on her sister. Fiora brought her other arm around and hugged Florina, placing her head softly above hers.

"Once this is all over, we'll both go back to Ilia" she said.

"What happened to Farina?" Florina asked.

"I'm not sure" Fiora explained. "Working as a freelance mercenary, no doubt. But I'm sure she'll come home at some point. Once she does, then we can stay together at home"

"That sounds so nice…I miss home"

"I do too, Florina…I do too"

Fiora then let go of her sister and stood up, stretching herself. Florina continued to eat while she looked up at her sister. Fiora looked back down towards Florina, smiling warmly to her.

"If you want to talk about anything or if you need any help, then you know where to find me" she said, before walking off to talk to another member of the group.

Florina looked back down at her food, thinking about her home, her village, all of her friends. She really did miss Ilia, and thinking about it made her feel depressed. It was a memory that would hawk on her mind for some time after she initially thought of it.


	8. Chapter 8: Tragedy

Chapter 8: Tragedy

Many days had passed since Eliwood and his group had exited the Nabata Desert. Their mission now was to pass into Bern without notice and make their way to the capital. Under the guise of common travellers, they slipped through the border and started to make their way to their destination, the pressure of the mission weighing hard on each mind.

But ever since the debacle on Dread Isle, Eliwood and his comrades were targets of the Black Fang, a mercenary group that appeared to be under the control of Nergal himself. Ruthless killers who follow a severe code of conduct, they knew that if they encountered the Black Fang, they would have to fight for their lives. The group unknowingly knew that a tragedy was to befall them.

Moving through the mountains, the found themselves in a small village near the foot of an ever increasing hill. Eliwood called for the group to stop for a rest. The fog from the mountains continued to roll down thicker and thicker; so thick that it blocked the view of what was ahead. Merlinus brought the surplus torches out, distributing them between the different people in the group.

As they prepared themselves to move on, they were being watched.

"…Is that Eliwood and his group?"

"Aye, that it is"

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's attack them with all our might!"

"What, are you stupid? We'll draw far too much attention that way. We need to be somewhat discreet about this"

"I know you're confident in your abilities, but the numbers you have now won't cut it! We have the be careful, even if we can bury those fools"

"Linus, if you're so worried…go and petition for reinforcements. I'll attack with what I have now"

"Right…but I won't be long! Leave some for me, brother!"

And as quickly as that, the group was under attack by Lloyd Reed, the White Wolf of the Black Fang.

As the mercenaries came and fought, the group held their ground against the forces of wyverns that attacked from the mountains. A few members of the group split towards the east, where the gates to the village were. All the while, the rest held their ground until the numbers stopped advancing.

"Right…I think they've stopped coming" Eliwood panted, having just defended himself from the last fighter. "Let's take the fight to them now!"

At that moment, Priscilla rode up to Eliwood.

"Lord Eliwood, allow me to light the way for you!" she said, preparing her torch staff.

"Okay, but be careful!" Eliwood warned. "There's no telling who's waiting in the fog…"

Unfortunately, the warning went unheeded. Priscilla rode right up to the gates of one of the fortresses up in the distance before raising her staff to the air. A blinding light shot out of the torch, firing into the air before exploding, illuminating everything within a large radius of the fog. Lucius, who was busy preparing a torch of his own, was witness to what was about to happen. A tragedy would befall the group at that moment.

"Priscilla, watch out!'

Suddenly, from the fog, a figure appeared, sprinting right for Priscilla. The tails of his trench coat were flapping wildly behind him as he yelled, a long, thick sword in his hand. It was Lloyd.

Raven, who had just shouted out to Priscilla, started to run towards her, slowly covering the long distance between the two.

"Priscilla, come back here now!" he screamed. Priscilla saw Lloyd emerge from the fog and quickly went to turn away, but it was too late. The rest of the group quickly advanced in horror as they saw Lloyd leap right into the air, almost vanishing with the speed that he had leapt before striking Priscilla with his blade. There was a splatter of blood and as Lloyd landed on the floor with perfect balance. Priscilla fell off of her horse, utterly limp. Raven watched in horror as his sister fell to the ground, lying still afterwards.

"Priscilla!" he yelled, looking in utter shock and agony at the scene that had unfolded in front of him. Tears started to build in his eyes. "PRISCILLA!"

No response. The reality had dawned on Raven at that point. His sister had been slain.

"…That is the Black Fang's judgment" Lloyd said calmly, standing straight and looking towards Raven. "You are next"

Lloyd watched as Raven quickly unsheathed his blade, looking towards him. He was overflowing with fury. Every sense of judgement had been clouded by his rage, any sensibility that remained had long left him.

"I-I'll kill you!" Raven yelled, suddenly running at Lloyd. Eliwood, who was already stunned with sickly terror at what he saw, quickly snapped from his grief-induced trance and started to run at Lloyd and Raven.

"Raven, no!" he yelled. "He's too strong, he'll kill you!"

As Raven went to swing at Lloyd, Lloyd almost effortlessly dodged the strike, quickly slashing at Raven. The sword just missed Raven's abdomen, but it cut deeply into his arm, causing Raven to yell in pain, collapsing to the floor. His sword flung right out of his hand as his bicep was torn open, bleeding profusely.

"Lord Raymond!" Lucius yelled as he saw Raven fall down. He started to run towards Raven, attracting Lloyd's attention. Lloyd quickly pointed his sword at Lucius, a light beam firing out of it. Lucius charged towards Lloyd, the beam striking him, but causing no damage whatsoever. Lloyd looked in surprise as he saw Lucius charging towards him, reciting from his tome. As Lucius reached the climax of his chant, a light beam of his own fired up into the sky from his body before shooting down towards Lloyd. Lloyd quickly saw the beam and leapt to the side, the beam crashing down right next to him with a powerful force. Oswin suddenly appeared beside Lucius and thrust at Lloyd with his long spear, striking Lloyd by his shoulder. Lloyd yelled as the spear just pierced his flesh, but more importantly, caught onto his trench coat. With great force, Oswin lifted the spear and tossed Lloyd a great distance, causing him to land roughly. Quickly getting up, Lyn appeared. Lucius caught his breath as he watched the heated sword fight between Lyn and Lloyd, who were equally matched. Eliwood joined the fight, overwhelming Lloyd.

As Lloyd was struck on his arm, he fell to his knee in defeat, trying to stop the bleeding from his shoulder thanks to Oswin's spear strike. Lucius watched as the scene of defeat suddenly turned into another of consecutive horror as Lloyd sprung up and grabbed Eliwood from behind, brining his bloodied blade to Eliwood's throat.

Lucius couldn't home in on the conversation this time, but he could hear another voice mewling quietly behind him.

"Agh...L-Lucius…"

Gasping, Lucius quickly spun, recognizing the voice to be Raven's. He was lying on the floor, his face scrunched in suffering as he clutched his bleeding arm at tightly as he could. The grass around him was slowly soaking red with his blood.

"Lord Raymond!" Lucius yelled running down to his side, kneeling in his blood. He pulled his spare vulnerary from his satchel, releasing the oily contents before rubbing it on Raven's wound. Raven grunted in pain as Lucius attempted to heal the wound, but it was clear that Raven was in a lot of pain.

"Talk to me, Raymond" Lucius said quietly, scrapping the formality whilst trying to ignore the tense scene that was unfolding in the distance with Lloyd.

As Lucius tended to Raven's wound, he heard a sound that rent his own spirit. It was a sound that Lucius had never heard before, and upon hearing it, he felt tears forming in his eyes. It was a quiet sound, yet it had the power to completely ruin his sanity.

It's was Raven, crying. As he grimaced in pain, tears flowed from his eyes.

"P-Priscilla…." He sobbed. "Pri…Priscilla…aaahhhh….."

To avoid crying himself, Lucius turned his head away from Raven, clenching his eyes shut. He wasn't ready for this horror that unfolded around him. He felt blame creeping up on him; he knew how well he resisted Lloyd and his light brand. If only he had used his own torch instead of Priscilla, then none of this would have happened, he thought.

Looking back towards Eliwood's predicament, the strangest event had unfolded. He witnessed the injured Lloyd limping away into the fog, calling his troops away whilst the remainder of the group was rushing towards him and Priscilla, carrying the vain hope that she could be saved.

When they discovered the meter wide pool of blood that had gathered around her body, they feared the worst.

And when they saw her blank expression and the small trickle of blood dripping from her pale lips, the worst had been confirmed. Priscilla was dead.


	9. Chapter 9: Anguish

Chapter 9: Anguish

As night drew over, the tired and weary group of fighters moved into the village, their hearts pounding and heavy with the loss that they had faced. Both Oswin and Dorcas had the terrible duty of carrying Priscilla's silent corpse into the village. As they walked, bruised and sweating, the villagers looked on in horror at the image. It was akin to a death procession, the horrible reminder of the pain that 'heroes' had to go through in order to save the day.

Within the inn, Lucius was sat inside his room, which he was sharing with Canas and Serra. The three of them sat silently on their beds, their heads in their hands. The stench of grief was thick in the air and each was attempting to nurse their pain.

"…I can't believe she's gone…" Canas said quietly. "I remember she gladly healed me yesterday when I tripped and grazed my elbow. And now…"

"This is so horrible" Serra uttered, her usual perky attitude completely gone. "I…I-I…."

Lucius did not say a single word. He was dressed in a vest and a pair of baggy trousers, having removed his bloodied robes. His thoughts were on Raven, who was aided to the inn before his wound was tended to. Lucius could remember watching Raven hold back as many tears as he could as he sat on the chair in the main room of the inn whilst the owners tried to stop the bleeding.

There was a knock on the door, to which nobody responded. It opened slowly, revealing Hector on the other side. His face was one of severe discomfort, already steeled for the occasion, but unsettled by everybody's grievance.

"…Due to the…circumstances that we're faced with…everybody's payment will have to be halted until next week"

Hector's announcement was met with a deadly silence, one that caused him to slowly shuffle out of the room. As he closed the door, Canas sighed once more.

"…Oh, how is Raven going to cope?" he sniffled. "It must be…s-so hard for him…"

"…I'm going to speak to him" Lucius said suddenly, standing up and walking out of the room with an unusual speed. Both Canas and Serra looked up to see Lucius leaving, before placing their heads back in their hands.

Lucius walked briskly through the inn towards the room where Raven was resting his injury. Knocking on the door, he waited patiently for a reply.

No response. He knocked again.

Still no answer. Lucius knew he had to speak to Raven. Without knocking again, he defied his usual patience and opened the door.

There was a heavy thud against the door as soon as he moved it. Lucius flinched as the door shook suddenly; a loud bang filled the corridor he was in. He heard something drop against the floor soon after; something had been thrown against the door. A few seconds of silence passed before Lucius took a deep breath and slowly continued to open the door. The room on the other side of the door seemed to be almost completely dark, and as Lucius walked in and closed the door behind him, he saw the only light in the dim room was coming from a weak lantern and the moonlight that shone through the window. He could make out a bed that had specks of blood on an oddly positioned pillow, usually where the arm would be in a sleeping position.

Looking at the window, he saw a half illuminated face peering grimly out of the window. His expression was cold, emotionless, and one could just make out a glistening in his lit eye.

"Lord Raym-" Lucius said quietly, walking slowly towards him.

"Get out" raven said sharply. Lucius felt the tone of his voice cut through him, stopping him suddenly.

"Lord Raymond…I'm so sorry…" Lucius said quietly. "If…i-if only I had been faster…I could have done something. His light brand….I was able to resist it. I should have faced him…."

Raven said nothing in response. Lucius watched as his face slowly twisted into one of anguish. His head lowered; the shade covered his eyes, further masking his expression. Lucius's eyes had adjusted to the dark and he could make out Raven's body in the darkness; he was leaning against the wall with his good arm, his bad arm in a bandage, carrying the wound that would haunt him forever.

"Lord Raymond, if it makes you feel any better…" Lucius started. "I-I'll do anything you ask me to from here on out. If you want me to carry your weapons, or if you want me to keep you company at any time, or…"

"Shut up Lucius" Raven said harshly, silencing Lucius once again. "Just…shut up"

"…Lo-lord Raymond…" Lucius stuttered, almost afraid. Raven let out a quick yell and struck the wall next to him as hard as he could, causing the whole wall to reverberate in response. The extinguished ceiling candle rocked from the strike.

"For…g-god's sake…" he said, slowly caressing his damaged arm as he curled in pain. Lucius quickly walked up to Raven, extending his arms to care for his wound. But as he neared, Raven snapped towards Lucius, driving him back.

"Go away!" he yelled. "Stay away from me!"

"I'm only trying to help you!" Lucius pleaded in desperation. Raven grabbed the little fake flower decoration on the windowsill and threw it violently to the ground, shattering the ceramic jug it sat in.

"I don't need you or your stupid help!" he yelled. "You're just a pain to me! If you could have saved her, then why didn't you? Why didn't you see what was happening and **stop her!**"

Lucius stood back, beginning to feel upset at Raven's outburst. Raven stood up and shoved his face right into Lucius's, their eyes merely an inch apart. Lucius could feel his anger raging out from his grating breath.

"If you're not to blame, then whom do I blame for her death?" he spoke harshly, his voice a raging whisper. "That wretch, Hector! That's who!"

Lucius couldn't believe what he was hearing. Of all people, he had to mention Hector.

"Raymond, you can't bring your grudge into this" Lucius reasoned with a pleading tone. "You'll tear the foundations of this group into pieces!'

"I couldn't give a shit about the foundation" Raven spat. "Hector was there, looking at Priscilla when it happened. I saw him and Eliwood telling her to go, but Hector was careless…I could **tell **by the look on his smug, **conceited **face!"

"Raymond, that's enough!" Lucius spoke, his voice raising. Raven then pushed Lucius out of his way, starting for the door. "Where are you going?"

He watched in swift horror as Raven impulsively grabbed his sword with his good hand, flinching as he lifted the heavy blade up into a readied position, still stomping towards the door.

"I'm gonna kill that piece of crap, right now!" he yelled. Lucius quickly ran towards Raven, grabbing him by his good arm.

"No, control yourself!" Lucius yelled.

"Let me go!" Raven yelled back.

"Nrrggg…**Raymond!**" Lucius yelled, suddenly grabbing Raven's bad arm. Raven felt the pain surge right through him causing him to drop his blade and scream in pain. Lucius quickly let go in shock, unable to believe he hurt Raven in such a way. A second later, he felt a gauntlet grip his throat tightly, squeezing against the Adam's apple within. Raven was choking him.

He looked right into Raven's eyes; he was lost in anger. Grabbing onto his arm, he tried to free himself, but his physical state was severely undermined by Raven's. Was he going to die here at the hands of his own friend? As he was forced against the wall, striking his head against the concrete, he closed his eyes tightly and prayed within his head to St Elimine, pleading that he would make it safely through the night. He felt queasy and light headed as he struggled to breathe against the tight grip of raven's hand.

Raven suddenly let go, dropping Lucius to the floor. Lucius gasped for breath, still choking on the air around him. As he gasped, his eyes filled with tears, streaming down his face. He looked up, still able to feel the hand on his throat, caressing it as much as he could as he breathed rapidly to see Raven looking down in shock, his hand to his mouth.

"…A-ah…" he uttered. "Lucius, I'm…."

But Lucius had had enough of Raven. He tried to get to his feet.

"Go away" he said firmly, still regaining his breath. "I-I don't want to see you…go!'

Raven looked at Lucius in anguish, before gripping his hair and yelling. Quickly, he spun around and stomped out of the room, not bothering with his sword. He slammed the door behind him, extinguishing the lantern with the sweep of the door. Lucius was shut within the dark, panting for breath.

The room was spinning around him. He coughed violently, the residue of his cough splattering onto his hand. He couldn't see, but he was convinced by the strength of the choke that he was coughing blood. Thankfully, as he brought his shivering hand to the light, he saw that the fluid was clear. He wasn't bleeding. Leaning against the window, he pressed his head against the glass, trying to suppress his tears. He felt so miserable, not only had he lost a dear friend to him, but also his closest friend in violent exchange.

"I'm so stupid…" Lucius cursed to himself. "I shouldn't have come here….I just made things worse"

Looking up, he allowed his tears to flow from his face. Wasn't he allowed to cry now and then, when nobody was looking?

"H-he…he ch…ch-choked me…"

Lucius could hear the door opening quietly behind him as he cried to himself. Bringing a hand to his face, he knew he couldn't face who was behind the door.

"…Lucius?"

"Florina…please, leave me alone"

"I heard all the shouting…"

"please…*sob*…Just leave me alone…."

There was yet another silence before he could sense the door closing again. The immense sense of gratitude built inside Lucius as his wish was granted to him. Turning so his faced the darkness, he nursed his grief as he slumped onto the floor against the wall, caressing his face with his tear soaked hand.


	10. Chapter 10: Comfort

Chapter 10: Comfort

He opened the door, the light of the corridor shining right into his dried up eyes. Squinting, he shielded his vision from the near blinding luminosity of the outside corridor as he quietly closed the door behind him. The hustle and bustle of the inn had fully vanished; it was very late at night.

All around him, there was the uncomfortable silence. Had he really been in that room, sitting in the darkness for so long? Had everyone gone to sleep? He realized that he had grieved for longer than he had anticipated and impulsively moved towards the door of his own room, shuffling across the floor in his sandals.

As he turned the corner for his corridor, he saw a sight that he didn't expect. Someone was standing by his door, looking downwards to the floor in a blank expression. She held her hands tightly together as she was leaning by the door, her hair hiding all of her face bar her mouth, which was shaped in a small frown. Lucius focused his eyes towards the figure, gulping when he identified the person stood at the door, still dressed in her battle clothes. Florina.

As Lucius appeared, Florina noticed him at once and looked up, her face wrought with worry. She stepped up to him as Lucius looked to the floor, unable to face up to her.

"Lucius…" she said quietly, looking into his forlorn eyes. He had to say something. He just had to, he wanted to dodge the impending conversation.

"Florina, it's late…" he mumbled, unable to think clearly. His head felt as if it were a cloud. "Y-you should be in bed…"

But Florina didn't move.

"…Are you okay?" she asked.

That was it. Lucius's memory was instantly cast to the events of the past few hours and he felt tears urging to escape his eyes once again. His vision blurred as the first tear fell. Sniffing, he gave away his emotion, causing Florina to gasp quietly.

"F-Florina…" Lucius sniffed, struggling to remain calm. "I'm s-sorry you have to see this…I-I don't usually c-cry…l-like this…."

"L-Lucius….please, don't cry…."

"I-I'm…s-s-sorry…"

As he stood there, he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him and hold him tightly. Florina had taken hold of him and placed her head at the side of Lucius's neck. She closed here eyes and rested herself against him, her arms linked below his own. Lucius was surprised at the gesture, and realized at that moment how empty he felt. It had been a long time since he held someone in his arms.

So he wrapped his arms around Florina and held her tightly, yearning to fill the empty space that had quietly lodged with him all this time. It didn't feel wrong. He could only hear the sound of her quiet, calm breathing and his attempts to console his own crying. He tightened his grip, bringing his hand to her shoulder, pulling her in closer. He felt her grip tighten in response, their communication strong with each other. They were there for each other. Lucius had helped Florina many times before, and then, stood in the corridor, whilst everybody else was in an exhausted state of slumber, she finally found the time to repay him.

**Sorry for the short chapter, maybe I'll make up for it by uploading the next chapter quickly!**


	11. Chapter 11: Knife

Chapter 11: Knife

Ever since that fateful early morning, Lucius had been feeling something that he had never identified before. Usually, when he talked to Florina, his inability with women would cause him to be slightly nervous. Now, however, things weren't quite the same. He remained reserved (as he always had), but he almost felt as if he wanted to help everybody within the convoy with a renewed eagerness in his spirit. Before, he felt somewhat detached and saw the group as a series of groups, little parties that conversed with each other, whereas now he felt as if he was close with everybody, like a large family. In short, he was happier.

Florina however didn't really change. She was still the Florina everyone knew, afraid of men and especially terrified of the sight of a bow and arrow. Still meek. Still slightly smaller in stature. However, her opinions of one man had changed somewhat, and that was the man he had embraced. She never realized that he could be comfortable dealing with such emotions. She had previously viewed him in one dimension: a kind monk who liked to help. But her encounter with him that night had opened up so many more dimensions, she realized that he was capable of feeling pain and suffering, as well as joy in helping others. He seemed so much more human to her now, so much more relatable.

And she _liked_ him a lot more now. So much that she was even beginning to feel for him in a different way.

Adventurous days passed, pressing and exciting at the same time. The tragedy of Priscilla's death, although still heavy on the minds of everybody in the group, was starting to become accepted. They were moving on, and as much as they personally hated to admit it, there were more pressing matters at hand. Eliwood would always serve to remind the group about their loss, but his amazing ability at leadership managed to transform the loss into a motivation. Everybody was doing this for Priscilla and also to prevent anyone else in the convoy from sharing her terrible fate. They were moving on quickly, having just prevented a second tragedy that held far higher consequences: they had prevented the assassination of Prince Zephiel of Bern. Their victory over the Black Fang had left the group in high spirits as they continued on their journey.

Travelling on the foggy, bumpy plains of Bern, the sun barely able to pierce the fog, the convoy's torches were set out to light the path. At the right wing of the convoy, primarily protecting Merlinus and his new and improved transporter, the trio of Marcus, Kent and Lowen were riding as an impregnable trio of paladins, their heavily armored horses efficiently protecting the horse and cart full of goods. Lucius was now stood a few meters into the convoy next to the paladins, keeping an eye out for any attackers. He was by himself, wasn't travelling or talking with anyone. He was left to his own thoughts.

This loneliness could only mean one thing. Someone was going to spot his solitary state and move closer to talk to him. Even as the person started moving, Lucius could sense who it was at once. It had almost become predictable, and inside he was thankful for it.

"Hello Florina…" he said quietly.

"Um…hello"

He was right. Like a pattern, at a random point in the day Florina would leave Huey under the watchful eye of Hawkeye, who was strong enough to control her (and always glad to help) whilst she went and talked with Lucius. They made quite a weird partnership, a woman who was shy of men and a man who was very polite and as a result, quiet. Yet their conversations were innocent and mostly observatory, remarking about the weather, how they were feeling during the day, and occasionally the funny story that would cause the two to giggle quietly, whilst the rest of the convoy went about their business in the travel. Occasionally, the two would garner some weird looks from other members of the convoy, considering that these were two characters that were usually quiet, chattering about the day. Even when the world appeared to be weighing down on them, they found solace in each other's quiet voices, like a shelter from a raging storm. Even in battle, the found themselves closer together, supporting each other when in the midst of a heated fight.

"How are you?" Lucius asked, the now compulsory start to their conversation.

"I'm not bad" would be the usual response from Florina, as it was today. Never just 'good' or 'bad'. With Florina, it was never black or white, always a shade of gray.

"So what's on your mind today?" Lucius asked, making a departure from the 'the weather, eh?' approach. Florina looked down, her shyness reappearing. Now this was strange, Lucius thought. Usually, Florina would get right on with what she wanted to say. But on that particular day, she was hesitant to say something that would open up dark doors that had never been opened for a long time.

"Lucius…I've talked to you all this time…"

What was she going to ask, he thought? He started to feel a little nervous, looking up to the sky.

"And I wanted to know…well…"

Oh no, he thought. He didn't like where this was going.

"I'm not sure quite h-how to say this, but…um…you see…"

Lucius's heart was starting to pump faster. He had a strong idea of what topic they would be focused on. He wasn't ready for this; he had been caught off guard.

"I…I-I wanted to a-ask you…."

Here it comes, he thought. Be strong, be strong! She's only human after all!

"...About your…ch-childhood"

His mind felt like a train that had just been derailed. He swore, he just _swore_ she was going to say something else. So convinced he was, he didn't fully catch Florina's request.

"My…what?" Lucius asked. Florina looked down, suddenly withdrawing.

"I-I'm sorry" she said quickly. "I shouldn't h-have asked…"

"No, no!" Lucius protested. "I just didn't hear you, please, ask me again"

"B-But…"

Lucius released his almost patented warm smile, quieting Florina.

"Please, ask me what you wanted to ask" he said, still smiling. Florina found herself unable to mount a resistance to his heavenly smile.

"I wanted to know about your past" Florina asked.

"My past?" Lucius asked back. "What about my past?"

"I don't know…things like your childhood, memories and…stuff" she said.

She watched as the smile slowly vanished from Lucius's face, replaced with a somewhat edgy expression.

"…Y-you want to know about that?" he asked, hoping that he had misheard her. Florina also appeared worried, unsure if what she had asked was wise.

"Why, is it…" she started.

"No, it's nothing" Lucius explained. "Well…the thing is Florina…I've never told anyone else expect Lord Raymond about my past. And even then…he doesn't know the full details. I'll be…h-happy to tell you, but you'll have to bear with me" he said. "To start…I was born in Etruria. I never really knew my mother, and my father was…a mercenary" he revealed.

"A mercenary?" Florina asked.

"That's right, Florina" Lucius confirmed. "He was a mercenary. People, barons and warmongers who fought petty little battles would pay him to fight for their sides, and he would use that money to sustain himself and whatever family he had, me included. I didn't know if he enjoyed being a mercenary or not, in fact I never really knew my father that well…"

"Why, what happened to him?" Florina asked. Lucius fell quiet, his mouth opening erratically, trying to find the best words to put together.

"F-Florina…" he stuttered, sounding as if he was choking on his words. "My father…d-died when I was very young"

Florina felt the terror of the memory suddenly dawning on her. The cold expression Lucius displayed suddenly made so much sense. His hesitation. She felt extreme regret at asking, even turning her head slightly away in shame at what she had unearthed.

"…I'm s-sorry, Lucius…" she said quietly. "I d-didn't mean to…to make you s-say th-that…" She found herself stuttering in extreme discomfort.

"It's okay, Florina…" Lucius said quietly. "You meant no harm to me. I understand that. Florina…there's something I want you to know…"

Florina looked back up to see that Lucius was looking her straight in the eyes, his blonde hair brushed out of the way of his smooth, unobtrusive face. She felt his gaze softly penetrating into her mind, she almost double took to see him straightly. There was something inside of him, dying to escape, a dark secret that Florina knew that nobody else had heard. A great responsibility.

"…I-I'm here…" she said. It was all she could say; all she needed to say.

"…My father was murdered, Florina" Lucius revealed. "He was murdered in front of my very eyes…when I was three"

The news stung, like a deep knife striking into her composure. Florina felt like she wanted to run towards Lucius and take him into her arms, take the news away from him and lessen the burden. The two were still walking, subconsciously, but Florina stepped towards Lucius until she was almost brushing against his robes.

"L-Lucius…" she said, feeling her tears billowing inside of her. "Why?"

Lucius closed his eyes quietly, his face becoming calm and composed, before he opened his satchel and pulled out a knife. Florina jumped back in fright at the sight of the knife, realizing that Lucius wasn't intending to use it. She watched as he continued to tell his story of agony, gazing down at the bronze handled blade.

"This knife…" he said quietly. "…I was too young to understand what had happened to my father when I heard his yell, heard him fall to the floor. I was too young to understand what blood represented. I saw his killer…standing above him, nothing but a black shade in my memory now. In that moment, something compelled me to take this knife…o-out of my father's back…and I kept it. I kept it close to me ever since so that one day…"

He lifted his head with a controlled anger, a sheer bitterness that came out clearly in the bite of his words.

"…I will show this knife to the man who killed my father" he said. "I will show it to him and tell him about the little boy whose father he had killed. I'll tell him that I was that little boy, and once he realizes who I am, I shall walk away…" he said, hiding a tear. "I will not kill him if he offers no resistance. My religion has taught me not to kill those who pose no threat to myself, and to only use my powers for the peace of Elibe. He shall share the pain of my memory, and I will silently hope that his murder will haunt him to his grave…"

He slowly turned around and saw something he did not want to see. Florina had started to cry, the power of Lucius's words had cut into her mind so deeply that she wept the pain away.

"Florina, I'm so sorry!" Lucius repented, stepping towards her. "Don't cry, I didn't mean…"

But it was too late to keep their talk discreet. Already the convoy had stopped to look at what was happening. Lucius felt the blood rise to his head and his collar grow searing hot as everybody's attention focused on them. He had never felt so embarrassed in all of his life. It was certainly an incriminating scene.

Lucius watched as Lyn marched right up to him.

"Lucius, what have you done?" she yelled, taking Florina into her arms. Lucius could only stutter an answer out.

"I-I meant no harm!" he pleaded, even placing his hands together. "I was speaking to myself, about my past and what I said upset her"

"What past?" Lyn pressed. Lucius glanced to see that every single person was looking at him. Even Huey shot a glance his way. In a last act of defense, he brought a hand up to his face and sighed in exasperation, turning away. Lyn wasn't happy to be looking at Lucius's back and grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't turn away from me!" Lyn yelled, trying to act in the defense of Florina, who was crying even more. Lucius shook Lyn off, tempted to just run away, run away and never turn back. He could feel the convoy turning against him, every single one of them.

"Hey, leave him alone!"

Lucius, whose eyes had started to tear up from the shame, turned around and gasped as he saw raven pulling Lyn away from him. Lyn spun around, even more angered.

"What are **you **doing?" she spat. Raven's face appeared just as furious as Lyn was, sporting a large frown that wrinkled the spot between his eyebrows.

"Leave my friend alone, he didn't mean any harm to her, okay?" Raven defended. This served only to infuriate Lyn even more, who was so angry that she had her hand on her blade.

"_Who do you think you are, talking to me like __**that?**_" she yelled. At that point, Eliwood and Marcus arrived at the scene. Marcus stood in between the two of them whilst Eliwood softly pulled Lyn away.

"Can we all just calm down?" he yelled amidst the noise, suddenly silencing every voice involved with the argument. Lucius turned around fully, trying his best not to let anymore tears slip out of his eyes. His hands were all over place, rubbing his red eyes, readjusting his robe, scratching his skin from the itchiness caused by the sweat formed out of embarrassment, readjusting his robe again. He kept his head down, unable to face anyone out of the humiliation of the scene.

"Eliwood…" Lyn said quickly, trying to have her say. But Eliwood swiftly brought his hand up, bringing solitude once again to the scene.

"I will not listen to any of this now!" he spoke. "I want everyone to stay with the convoy and continue this journey **without** any hassle! We'll sort out what's happening when we set up camp for the night. Lyn, Florina, you two come with me, the rest of you stay here. Now can we please continue on our trail?" he asked.

"Yes, Lord Eliwood" everybody replied, suddenly feeling foolish for partaking in the kafuffle. With swift effectiveness, everybody returned to their posts in the convoy and continued their way on the trail. All the while, as Lucius walked, Raven walked silently beside him. Having not spoken to each other since the incident after Priscilla's death, the rest of the day's travel was filled with an uneasy quietness. Neither said a word.


	12. Chapter 12: Forgiveness

Chapter 12: Forgiveness

The convoy came to an early stop by the edge of a large rocky mountain. As soon as they stopped and started to set up their tents, the combatants of the previous vocal battle had gathered together in front of Eliwood to calmly explain the situation. Eliwood set down the law, strictly ensuring that there would be no more spats or arguments, lest they face a dock on their pay or at worst, excommunication from the group. With the warning, set in motion, Eliwood watched as they all dispersed. Just as soon as they did, Hector walked up to him with a smile on his face.

"You look like a parent, Eliwood" he said. Eliwood laughed a little as Hector sat down on the large log that Oswin was building a fireplace next to.

"I have to keep order in this convoy, Hector" he explained. "Otherwise we'll just fall apart"

"I know, but keeping them apart from each other?" he asked. "Sounds like you're ripping it apart with that description!"

"I did not do that" Eliwood protested, chuckling. "I just warned them, that's all. There's nothing wrong with a friendly warning, right? I want us all to be friends"

"Friendly warning?" Hector giggled, unable to contain his friendly malice. "I swore I saw you pointing your finger at them"

"Hector…"

Meanwhile, Lucius was sat inside of his tent. He was lucky not to get much blame whatsoever, he was glad that Eliwood saw sense only to warn those who actually raised their voices. Yet he still felt a sense of shame, having been the main focus of attention during the heated exchange. Whenever he thought back on it, he felt himself growing hot beneath his collar. It wasn't a good feeling, neither was it a good image for him. He felt safe within his tent, hidden from everybody else, yet scared to leave it.

As he sat in his tent, silently finishing his daily provisions and wiping his mouth, he could hear footsteps outside of his tent. The sounds trailed to the front of his tent, which was loosely closed, hiding him from the rest of the convoy, still feeling embarrassed about what had happened earlier.

"Lucius?"

It was Raven. Lucius quickly put his provisions away before looking to the entrance. He felt afraid to respond, realizing it was the first time they had directly communicated in days.

"…Yes?"

"You busy?"

"No, why?"

"I want to talk with you about something"

"…Okay, give me a few minutes"

Minutes later, the two were strolling together around the outside of the convoy, far from the tents. It took a shy minute before their interaction started.

"What did you want to speak to me about, Lord Raymond?" he asked. Raven let out a heavy sigh, not looking at Lucius at all. His eyes were focused right on the tips of his feet as they slowly navigated the ground.

"Er…" he mumbled. "…I want to…apologize"

Lucius knew what Raven meant. He hadn't forgotten the violent exchange that the two had in the inn. Even then, he could feel his hand gripping his throat like it did back then. He was struggling for air, and said the first thing that came to his head.

"Lord Raymond, I'm sorry that I…" he said.

"No you're not" Raven cut across. "Lucius…you're not sorry. All you do is say sorry to me. For once…I'm sorry"

Lucius looked down towards his feet, taking a deep breath. He couldn't remember the last time when the journey hadn't been awkward.

"Raymond…" Lucius whispered. "I know the pain you're feeling, please don't make this hard for yourself…"

"You told Florina about your father, didn't you?" Raven asked suddenly, changing the topic. Lucius became tense; Eliwood must have told Raven about what Lucius had been talking about.

"I did…" Lucius said quietly. "Raymond, please don't be mad at me for this. I…I…"

"You like her, don't you?" Raven asked.

"…I do like her" Lucius admitted. "Raymond, it isn't what you think"

"I know it isn't" Raven replied. "You're allowed to have friends. So am I. I think that's why I wanted to talk to you, really. I wanted to talk to a friend about these past few days"

"Raymond, you don't have to apologize for assaulting me at the inn" Lucius insisted, looking towards him as they walked. "Like I said before, I know the pain you felt. I lost someone close to me when I was young…it's horrible. It's beyond horrible, it's just…just…"

"…I still want to say I'm sorry" Raven said quietly. Lucius watched as his usual frown dissipated into genuine sadness. "I'm always grumpy around you, and I don't treat you as I should. I keep forgetting that what I say and do affect others…"

"Raymond…" Lucius interrupted, stopping. As Raven stopped, Lucius went to hug his friend, who returned the embrace instantly. "I'll always forgive you. You're…my best friend. If I lost you, what point would there be in going on?"

"That's why I'll stick around" Raven said quietly, breathing into Lucius's hair. "No matter how unforgivable the things I do become. It's been a few days and…I'm starting to accept it"

"Raven, you shouldn't push yourself" Lucius protested, his voice a mere whisper.

"No Lucius…I'll be fine" Raven whispered back, patting Lucius's back with a calm, systematic beat. "I've finally come to realize the importance of having people like you around. Guys like you…you make the pain easier to deal with. Physical, mental or otherwise, with you, and everyone else here in the convoy, then I know no matter how grave the wound…I'll always be looking towards happiness"

Lucius laughed a little, letting go of Raven, yet still holding his shoulders.

"Even if you have a grumpy face?" he asked, smiling, displaying each of his teeth. Raven chuckled in response, shrugging.

"Even that" he said, looking over his shoulder.

"And what about Hector?" Lucius asked. "I know you still grieve about…well, you know, that _grudge_…"

Raven let out a visible sigh, looking back towards the camp with a steeled look in his eyes. He spied Hector, who was busy chomping on a chicken leg, chattering happily away with the strong men of the group.

"I'm still sour towards him" Raven admitted, looking back at Lucius. "…Is that okay?"

Lucius shook his shoulder gently, still smiling. He closed his eyes and nodded.

"That's fine" he said. "Just give it time. As long as you remain quiet, my friend. Everything will be fine"

Raven smiled, stepping back a little.

"I've already said my apologies to Lyn" Raven said. "She…oh, she's coming now! See you Lucius!" he said, giving a wave to Lucius as he walked back towards the camp. He greeted Lyn on the way, who walked shyly up to Lucius, her hands behind her back and her sword completely absent.

"Lucius…" she said quietly. Lucius, already feeling gleeful from his conversation with Raven, opened his arms at once. Lyn sighed with a hint of relief as she walked into Lucius's arms, holding him tightly.

"I'm really sorry for grabbing your shoulder and shouting at you, Lucius" she gushed, as if her words were air in a deflating balloon. "I only wanted to help Florina…but I wasn't very considerate, wasn't I?"

"You have my complete forgiveness" Lucius said wholeheartedly, patting Lyn's back with his embrace. "You acted out of goodwill and that's what matters"

Lyn let go of Lucius and stood back, nodding her head, grateful for the forgiveness.

"Having said that, I'm still curious" Lyn continued. "I mean…I don't know what you said exactly, but it seemed to upset Florina…"

Lucius let out a disappointed sigh. It was her fault, but he could never bring himself to blame another person. He got carried away and revealed a dangerous secret to someone light of heart. The blame was his and his alone.

"…I cannot express my regret enough" Lucius sighed. "I should have just kept my mouth shut"

"Don't blame yourself" Lyn said quickly. "Florina needs to learn when and when not to ask about people's private memories…"

"Does anyone else know what I said?" Lucius asked, a little worried that the convoy knew about his past. His heart filled with reprieve as Lyn shook her head.

"It's still safe" Lyn explained. "I've told Florina that what she heard is not to be repeated. I don't think she will anyway"

Lucius chuckled a little at the image of Lyn telling Florina off for something completely innocent. He brushed a strand of hair from his face, biting his lip.

"I doubt she would do something like that" Lucius said quietly. "Unless it was out of naiveté. She's a lovely girl…"

"…Oh yeah?"

The tone of Lyn's voice was one of prying interest, one that prompted Lucius to look up, only to find Lyn looking at him teasingly, as if she was attempting to confirm a juicy piece of information. The cocked leg, the raised eyebrow, the mischievous face, Lucius suddenly realized what he had said.

_She's a lovely girl…_

His face erupted into blush at once as he turned his face to the side, placing a hand to his mouth.

"O-oh, p-please don't misunderstand!" Lucius pleaded. "It truly isn't what it sounded like just then"

Lyn started to giggle, standing back up straight.

"I was only kidding" she said. "Of course you didn't men it like _that_, right?"

Lucius released another chuckle, this time laced with nervousness. _Of course he didn't mean it…did he?_


	13. Chapter 13: Injury

Chapter 13: Injury

He couldn't stand next to her without feeling the strange nervous sensation anymore.

It was the first time that he had come to notice the little features about her. The way she would walk, sometimes carrying her lance on the same slant when there was a threat nearby. The way her eyes would dart around her surroundings when she sensed anything discomforting about her. And not just her mannerisms, but her appearance as well. Her elegant shape, her well polished armor, the porcelain smooth face and lips, only ever so slightly chapped by the journey, the deep, deep eyes and the light color of her hair.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but there was no doubting that he enjoyed looking at her from the distance, where it was safe to admire her features. The only time he could be by her side and not feel any nerves whatsoever was in the midst of the battle, where nerves didn't have a place to stand, where adrenaline dominated.

But what he admired the most about her was her potential to remain composed. No matter over how much she cried, when the group suffered another terrible tragedy in the death of Ninian, she suddenly became one of the group's pillars of strength. He finally saw her true colors come out as she assisted and helped everybody, trying her very best to keep morale at a high. It was this that suddenly caught Lucius's eye and caused him to see her in a different light.

Having travelled back to Ostia, the group feeling tired and miserable once again, they were presented to the rooms that they had before. Now that Florina herself was feeling better, she was given a room within the same corridor as many other members of the group. As they started to rest, the worst happened.

The castle had fallen under another attack, this time not by a mercenary group, but Nergal's army of morphs.

Almost as suddenly as they started to settle in, they had to summon all of their strength and take to arms once more, ready to defend the throne.

As a great battle broke out, Eliwood split his team into two divisions, one comparatively smaller than the other. The smaller team was to stay at the throne to protect it whilst the larger force went out and created defense perimeters within the halls. Fatefully, this separated Lucius and Florina, with Lucius heading out to meet the enemy whilst Florina looked after the throne.

During the battle, Lucius fought vigorously against the heavily armored knights that appeared at the gates of the castle, moving forward. With his satchel tied to his side, he had his tomes to hand, casting the spells from them as fast as he could. Some of the knights would come in range of Lucius, who would have to dodge the flying spears and javelins, the swooping lances as he continued to cast his spells. Canas would be helping him, backing him up with the dark arts, his magic seeping through the slits in the enemy armor and poisoning them from the inside, killing them effectively.

The attack was relentless. As hoards and hoards of morphs fell to the ground in defeat, more poured in from the entrance. Both Hector and Oswin, with their supreme armor, charged into the middle of the fray in front of the perimeters, allowing the morphs to encompass them as they battled. Lucius watched as one of the knights advanced up towards him. Preparing his nearly depleted lighting tome, he glanced at the weapon the knight held before gasping in fear.

The lance was dripping with purple fluid. At once, Lucius's mind was cast back to the night after the escape from the Dread Isle. . The lance was laced with a venomous liquid, the same sort that had poisoned Florina some time ago.

And the delay of noticing was enough time for the morph to strike. Before Lucius knew it, the knight had thrust his lance at him, the tip striking against Lucius's shoulder, breaking into his skin. Lucius yelled in pain as he fell back, trying to escape the poisonous tip, but it was too late. In shock, he looked down as the fluid dripped all down his robes, slowly mixing with the trickle of blood.

Looking up, he could already feel his world spinning from the strike. He heard Canas's worried yell before he destroyed the morph with one blast of his dark magic. Everything became a blur as his stomach twisted and turned.

"Lucius, are you okay?" Canas said, kneeling down beside him. Lucius tried to answer, but his throat was dry. He could feel the sting of the wound; the tip of the lance had punctured his flesh, damaging his muscle. The poison was spreading. Uttering an indescribable sound, he collapsed back onto the floor again.

A pair of arms slipped beneath his own before he could feel his feet dragging against the floor. His breathing was heavier and heavier; he could feel something gargling in his lungs with a sickening sensation. Did the lance puncture his lungs? Was he going to die?

In the rush of it all, his stomach contracted, and almost without feeling anything, Lucius threw up, his vomit projecting onto the blue marble floors of the castle and all across his robes staining them further. His slow drag came to a quick end as a pair of armored hands took the reins and efficiently carried him back to the throne. The taste in his mouth was disgusting.

The noises around him became mixed and intertwined with each other as his drag came to a stop once more. He was placed onto his back, his head rested to the side to prevent choking on his vomit. Through the blur, he could make out an armored foot.

"Lucius, can you hear me?" a gruff voice called. It was Marcus, a voice that he had never properly conversed with before. "Somebody, help me take his robes off, I need to see his wound"

Closing his eyes, the wrestling of his body went by in a flash as his robes were removed, revealing his vest and trousers. Lucius then felt a hand cup beneath his head as he was hoisted up into a sitting position. A handkerchief wiped across his mouth, ridding his face of his own vomit. As it passed over his face, he took a deep smell of it, gargling a sigh as the beautiful smell of the lily passed through his nostril.

It was then that a bottle had been brought to his mouth. As he smelt it, it was clear what he was about to drink.

Bergamot and vetiver.

Whilst a hand rubbed burning oil onto his rather grievous wound, he drank the medical solution, closing his eyes. He allowed the half water, half oily substance to slither down his throat and into his stomach, refreshing his insides in a flash. His head felt droopy and heavy as he continued to drink. Just about being able to open his eyes one last time, he saw an angel sat beside him, with the bottle in her hand, producing the elixir to his dry lips.

Pulling the bottle away before it could run out, Lucius knew that his consciousness was fading. Like a miracle, before it could get any worse, the illness that was surrounding suddenly waned, leaving him to drift away into an unknown land. Breathing a long, wistful breath, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to go adrift, hoping that where he would end up would bring him an ultimate peace free of pain and suffering.


	14. Chapter 14: Kiss

Chapter 14: Kiss

"Lucius…Lucius, can you hear me? Lucius?"

"…"

"I think he's waking up. Go and get a vulnerary for him, will you?"

"…"

"Hey, Lucius! It's a bright and sunny morning!"

Urging his eyes open, the blackness became vanquished by the joy of color. He could make out the wooden floors and the sunlight that poured in through the open curtains through the glass. Looking down, he noticed the chair that he had been propped up onto. The vest he was wearing was clean and new, and the chair was comfortable. There was someone sat in front of him dressed in more causal clothes, and as the blurriness of his vision faded, he realized that the man sat beside him was none other than Hector.

"Hey, you're finally awake!" he said.

"Ooohhh…" Lucius groaned. "My head….ngh…."

"You had a rough battle" Hector said, his expression an understanding one. "Someone told me you got pierced by a lance"

He thought of the poison at once. Closing his eyes, he mentally scanned his body to try and sense any illness. Apart from the subsiding headache he had, there seemed to be nothing wrong with him, apart from a little hunger.

Rubbing his head, he focused to look at Hector once more. His armor had been removed, leaving him dressed with just the shirt and trousers beneath it.

"Ah…Lord Hector" Lucius mumbled. "H-How long has it been?"

"Well, the battle was yesterday" Hector explained. "Soon after you were hit, the Ostian reinforcements arrived, so I'd say you held out pretty well!" he complimented. "Taking a puncture from a lance is a nasty one though…I've had that one a few times when the spear slips through my armor plates, hah hah! What's worse is yours was poisoned, but thanks to Florina's quick thinking, it looks like you got cured pretty quickly!"

He suddenly remembered the angel that had produced his very own medicine to him. Was that Florina? Lucius started to blush as he thought of the circumstances, and what he considered to be his angel at that moment in time. He also thanked St Elimine that he had created the bergamot and vetiver medicine, which although was meant for a different purpose, served to save him from a potentially cruel fate.

"In any case, from what the doctors can see, there's nothing really that wrong with you, so you've been told just to stay here for the day" Hector explained. Before Lucius could mount a resistance, Hector brought his hand up to stop him. "You don't have to worry about being left behind, I'll tell you what's happening. We're going to the Dread Isle again to finish this" he said.

"You mean to say this will all be over?" Lucius asked. Hector gave a nod.

"We're going to use today to get some supplies and rest up, before setting out tomorrow" he explained, standing up from his chair. "I hope you get better soon, buddy. Take care now, and I'll see you tomorrow. Florina should be in with a vulnerary to finish up on your wound now…"

Hector quickly left the room before Lucius could have the time to fully say goodbye. Sighing, he sunk into his chair and allowed his thought to have free reign.

So the end was coming. After so much journeying, after so much toil and trouble, the end was at hand. The final battle against Nergal. Lucius had been taken so much to the monotony of the travels and fights that he had almost forgotten completely that the journey had to come to an end at some point. It came as a shock to his system, a sudden stop the moving train of his thoughts and actions. He hadn't even thought very much about what he was going to do after it was all over.

As if by automatic, the need to talk to someone arose in him. He couldn't just sit in his chair and think. There were too many thoughts; he _had_ to speak to someone! Someone, anyone, just as long as he could share his thoughts and empty his chest of the growing worry.

A knock on the door. Before Lucius could even answer, a head popped through to look at him. St Elimine really was looking down on him; he couldn't have asked for anyone better.

As Florina walked into the room, carrying a small pouch that revealed the outline of a pair of bottles, Lucius felt his heartbeat quickening. The nerves returned in force, strengthened by his slight hunger, but a firm grip on the arms of his chair helped to alleviate the shaking. He looked up somewhat weakly to Florina, who appeared to be unscathed from the previous battle.

"Good morning Lucius" she said warmly, setting the sack onto the bed. She produced the pair of bottles, one containing the vulnerary solution and the other of his almost empty bergamot and vetiver medicine. Lucius peered at his own remedy strangely, he had never sat down to think of the medicine's significance. He knew this would have never happened had it not been created. How strange, he thought.

"Good morning, Florina" Lucius replied, looking back up to her, the sunlight from the window reflecting on her figure, who was still in her battle outfit (minus the armor plating). He decided to humor her. "Come to give an old man his medicine?"

Florina giggled, controlling her laughter with her hand. Lucius also laughed, but his eyes focused on the smoothness of her hand. No clear vein in sight, no specks of dirt. He noticed a broken nail on her index finger, but the rest were well kept. _Well kept…_

"I brought your medicine as well" Florina asked. "Just in case you wanted it" She also decided to add some humor to their interaction. "Shall I bottle feed you?"

The comment tickled Lucius quite effectively, as shown by his hearty laugh. Florina herself had no hearty laugh, just a fit of giggles. The two were there, laughing, trying their best not to. But it was hard not to. Almost unconsciously, Florina handed Lucius the remedy, who drunk the last few drops in one gulp. Putting the cork back on the bottle, he handed it back to Florina, who placed it slowly back into the bag.

Something strange was happening, he thought. Why was Florina suddenly going so slowly? And why, after all the laughing, after creating such a social atmosphere, did everything go so quiet?

She was reaching for the vulnerary. Lucius started to realize what was to happen. His wound!

"I…I-I need to see your wound, Lucius…" Florina said quietly. Lucius looked at Florina as she shyly made her request. New ground was to be broken; he had never shown such bare skin away to anyone before. Not even Raven, and he was his best friend! Yet that was what was so strange about it: even Lucius _himself _was curious about what his wound looked like. At the time he was stabbed, he never thought to take off his own robes to examine the wound himself. Al he remembered was watching his blood and the poison intertwine…

Looking down as if he felt the injury a second time, he could see the small spikes of his scar reached out from the shoulder strap of his clean white vest. Without uttering a word, he slipped his arm out of the strap, almost gasping at the scar that was left behind.

It was a young scar that was still a pale red on his skin, clearly distinguished from the undamaged tissue around it. It had five spines, much like a twisted scar, and could just about be hidden if he cupped his hand into a fist and placed it fingers down on the scar. He swallowed his saliva, hoping it would calm him a little.

"Uh…a-aah…" Lucius uttered, taken aback by his own wound. Florina also breathed in a delicate disbelief, the contrasting colors of his wound and skin creating quite a stark scar.

"…Does it hurt?" she asked. The question was well processed in Lucius's mind, much like his mind check for poison, he sensed for any pain. Breathing in and out, he felt nothing.

"…No" he replied. "No pain. I think you'd better apply the vulnerary…just in case…"

Florina nodded in response and pulled the small vial of vulnerary lotion out of the bag, un-bottling it. She poured roughly a third of the lotion onto her hand before placing the bottle on the windowsill nearby, rubbing it onto her hands.

"This might hurt…be strong" Florina asked.,

"I will" Lucius whispered powerfully, sitting back and re-ascertaining his grip on the arms of his chair, digging his fingers into the fabric.

Florina closed in and softly rubbed the wound with her hands. The sting came immediately, Lucius breathed harshly through his teeth as Florina administered the medicine to his wound. The stung partially subsided, the soft rubbing fluctuating in depth. Lucius focused on his breathing, forgetting to breathe would be stupidly fatal. He could feel the tingling of the wound caused by the medicine. Throughout the procedure his eyes were closed; he was taught when in the process of healing, whether he was the healer himself or the one being healed, to always close off as many unnecessary senses as he could in order to enhance concentration. Concentration in the healing process was essential for both.

The apex of his concentration caused him to notice something that sent his heart racing. He wasn't sure what to make of what he felt or what he should do about it. He couldn't tell whether the nature of the feeling was an intention or just a natural occurrence, something that neither was supposed to notice.

He could faintly feel her breath on his face.

Like a quiet wind blowing, the mere touch of her breath, something invisible, so small and insignificant in size, caused Lucius's concentration to shatter as he opened his eyes. Realizing that her rubbing had slowed to almost a massaging speed, as his eyes opened, they came right into contact with hers. They were merely a few inches apart from each other, closer than he had ever been before. He could sense almost every detail, every strand of hair, hear every breath, and the tense, awkward pause that followed when Florina noticed Lucius had his eyes open, in which her rubbing had stopped. The vulnerary had absorbed into his wound long ago.

They were now looking right into each other. The windows into their souls, everything in that small moment of sheer, anxious silence had been laid on the table. It felt as if their understanding of each other had greatly enhanced to an intimate stage, one that neither had intended to enter, but one that neither felt the need to escape. Lucius looked down, then back up. She was sill staring. She blinked. A pressing negotiation of the eyes was at hand. In the time he had looked down, she had gone an inch closer. Could Lucius stand up and walk away? The negotiation was drawing to a close, and he couldn't believe what his decision was to be.

And then, without a moment's pause, she leaned in and kissed him.

His eyes closed again, his mouth only lighting touching hers. Both were closed, the exchange was very polite and unobtrusive. Yet Lucius felt his heart pumping powerfully, sending blood rushing right up to his face, dizzying his head as his eyes closed, as if to contain the blood that threatened to seep out from the rush. He felt light, lighter than he had ever before. Words filled his head, laughter, joy, controversy, passion, the future.

She pulled away slowly, having closed her eyes as well. Stepping back, she touched her lips, almost in disbelief as what she had just done. She didn't appear shocked, just dazed. Lucius was dazed as well; he could feel even his eyes tingling as his lips grew cold of the absence of Florina's own mouth.

They were like two children, having delved into the wonders of romance for the first time. It was a peculiar scene to witness; two fully grown people, standing and blushing, humming their words out, their voices illegible to understanding but their expressions and messages perfectly clear.

"U-uhm…." Florina uttered, her face rouged completely by her awkwardness. Lucius felt like laughing at the sound of her voice, bellowing as loudly as he could. He choked a giggle, quickly putting the strap of his vest back to where it belonged.

Florina quickly spun on her heel and walked out of the room, forgetting to pick up the bag that she had left on Lucius's bed. She appeared so stunned that she walked in a wavy line, forgetting to even close Lucius's door. But Lucius didn't care. He remained in his chair, trying to comprehend the magnitude of what just happened to him. It was his first kiss.


	15. Chapter 15: Aureola

Chapter 15: Aureola

The final battle was at hand. The group had successfully fought their way through an army of Nergal's morphs and had slain Limstella, his strongest morph. Now, they were at the entrance to the Dragon's Gate, ready to fight Nergal and put an end to a long, enduring adventure.

The archsage Athos, whom Lucius saw as an ultimate hero who fought next to St Elimine herself, had distributed the legendary weapons Durandal, Armads and the Sol Katti to the three lords. Armed and ready to battle, Lucius took one last look at the group he had travelled with.

Everybody around him looked ready to fight, armed to the teeth with every weapon that they needed. They were hyping morale up between them all, giving everybody a strong future to keep their hope in. The atmosphere was buzzing and exciting.

Looking around, he turned back to Raven, who had been stood by his side the entire time.

"This really is it" Lucius said quietly. "Once this is over, if we survive, then we all go our separate ways…"

"What are you going to do, Lucius?" Raven asked. Lucius had been crafting a plan out throughout the entire journey, one that he had kept himself. In the buzz of the final moments before the great battle, he felt ready to share his life's plans with his best friend.

"I'm going to open an orphanage in Elimine" he revealed.

"An orphanage?" Raven asked. "…Ah, I understand. I can see where you got that from, hm?"

"Being an orphan is a terrible way to live a childhood" Lucius said nobly. "I have always devoted my life to aiding those in need, and I feel out of all of us, orphans are the ones who need the most help. Children without parents, without guardians who can teach them they joys and the beauty of the world, to show them discipline and to show them the love and nurture they need to become great men and women in the world…orphans are the least fortunate of us all. I want to be that figure to those who have to live without it. I want…I want to make them happy, to keep them safe from harm and to…well…give them the love and attention they need in life as children"

Raven gave a slow, understanding nod.

"That's a very noble cause" he said. "…I might just continue being a mercenary"

"Lord Raymond, I have no objections to that as such, but…" Lucius started. But they had had this conversation many times before, and Raven silenced him with a smile and a wave of his hand. Lucius would always object to Raven fighting for the side with the most money.

"I know you're not a fan of my plan, but…" Raven started. "…this journey's taught me a lot. It's taught me about loss and I've gleaned a lot from you. About chasing a noble cause…Lucius, did your father fight for a noble cause?" he asked. Lucius fell quiet for a few seconds, considering what he knew of his father's life before he answered.

"I suppose he did it for me" his reply was.

"Then I shall too" Raven revealed. "I'll only put myself up for hire if the actions I'm doing are for a good cause. I won't fight for warmongers, money tossing brutes and barons. I'll only fight for the well being of a certain person, or group, or village or anything! Fighting bandits…or those who cause terror. That's what I'll dedicate my sword arm to fighting towards. A brighter future"

"Raymond…I'm proud of you" Lucius said warmly. "Whatever happens, please survive this fight"

"Will do" Raven replied, readying his sword. "And you too"

"I will, Raymond"

Lucius turned around and from the corner of his eye, he spotted Florina and Huey. She was preparing her steed for the final battle, talking to her and preparing her armor. She didn't notice Lucius looking at him as she looked at her lance, breathing a deep breath and nodding her head. She then turned and her eyes were caught on Lucius from the distance. Their eyes lingered about each other as the noise around them slowly filtered into a quiet background sound. His heart swelled to see her, even though they had spoken very little between each other since their kiss in Ostia. Nobody else knew about what happened, or at least Lucius thought that was the case. He didn't know what Florina did in her spare time.

He was about to move to tell her about the orphanage he planned to set up, and hope to hear what she had in mind after the battle. But as he set to walk towards her, a voice spoke out to him.

"You are Father Lucius, are you not?"

The voice was old and wise, one reminiscent of the Santa actors that would appear every Christmas at the orphanage that Lucius grew up in. Turning around, he came face to face with one of Eight Heroes themselves: Athos.

"A-Archsage Athos!" Lucius stammered, turning his head quickly. Florina had vanished.

"Ah…your face…you must be him" Athos said with a smile ever so bright, even if it was hidden beneath a gigantic grey beard.

"M-My face, Archsage?" Lucius asked. Athos gave a slow nod.

"You have the gentlest face, my boy" he said, closing his eyes and letting a little chuckle escape. "I can sense your power from a distance, Lucius…I may call you that?" he asked. Lucius felt honored enough to be speaking with Athos, let alone be called by his first name!

"Wh-why thank you" Lucius stammered.

"Lucius, I must ask you something" Athos said, his face slowly becoming serious as he spoke. As old as he was, his voice had an undaunted power in it. His energy was radiant, even after a thousand years. "You are a worshipper of St Elimine, aren't you?"

"I-I am, yes" Lucius answered quickly.

"I fought alongside St Elimine in the Scouring" Athos noted. "Such a powerful, noble bishop. You know of the weapon that she used, the sacred tome of light, Aureola?" he asked.

"Y-yes, the Aureola" Lucius said quickly. "It's the most powerful light tome that has ever existed. Its power is supposed to bring down even the strongest of dragons, and the light it produces can eliminate any darkness, no matter how deep" he explained.

"Very good" Athos praised. "You clearly know the responsibility it would take to handle it, no?"

"A lot…ah!" Lucius gasped. He rapidly figured out where Athos was going with his conversation. "N-no…y-you don't have it with you now, do you?"

Athos released another warming smile before producing a large, weathered tome from his robes. Lucius found himself unable to breathe at the sight of the tome he had produced. The cover of the tome was indecipherable and the pages were an ancient yellow color. Athos held it out in front of him for Lucius to behold. He couldn't believe that he was looking at the very weapon that St Elimine herself, the priestess that Lucius worshipped daily, used in the Scouring.

"This is the Aureola, Lucius" Athos revealed. "I have spoken with the young Eliwood about whether he deemed you trustworthy to use this tome. Please, lay your hand on it and we will see"

Lucius felt his heart beating rapidly as he raised his hand. In all the years he had lived and would live after, he would have never imagined, not in his wildest dreams, not even in the dreams where he would see himself as a glorified hero, that he would ever be able to set his eyes upon the Aureola. And here it was, with its withered cover and the many pages within. Trembling, he placed his hand upon St Elimine's tome.

There was a silence. Lucius couldn't feel anything upon touching the book expect the almost sandy texture of the cover, like dust to his fingers. Athos closed his eyes and started to grunt quietly in thought. Slowly, a light started to envelop around the two of them, one that Lucius could only feel pulsing inside of his body. He wasn't sure what to make of the sensation, but after a short pause, the aura vanished and Athos opened his eyes.

"Lucius…" he said quietly. "…The spirit of St Elimine has spoken to me. You have been deemed…worthy" he revealed.

There was no more joy to be felt. Lucius had already exhausted all of his happiness in being able to see the tome for himself. He was already happy. But now, upon learning his new role in the battle, he felt a strong sense of responsibility. A strong sense of heritage and

"Worthy Lucius, are you ready to undertake the responsibility that has been offered to you? To take this tome and confront Nergal with it, to shatter his veil of darkness and allow the lords to deal the final strike?"

Everybody in the group was watching as Lucius stared at the tome. Tense, silent, daunting seconds passed as Lucius slowly looked up to Athos, a small frown on his eyelids, fraught with what he had to face.

"…I am" he said.


	16. Chapter 16: Darkness

Chapter 16: Darkness

And so, the final battle began. The group charged right into the center of the Dragon's Gate to confront Nergal, where he surrounded himself in the morphs of previous leaders. Each set of leaders and their strongest henchmen were locked behind different rooms that opened up as time went by. The morphs had a striking resemblance to the people they had fought before: Lloyd, Linus, Ursula, Darin, Brendan, Kenneth, Jerme, Uhai, each had been reformed into a morph, many times more powerful than their previous selves. As the battle started, the group created a defensive shell of the strongest defense, keeping archers and magic users right behind them to back them up. Staying in the middle of the room, they battled away the powerful morphs, claiming their powerful weapons after each one fell. Chamber after chamber, opened, bringing back the harsh memories of having to kill the past members of the Black Fang again, knowing that all along, they weren't the true bad guys, and that they were merely tools used by Nergal in his quest to bring dragons back to the world. And as each fell, the desire to see Nergal killed was increasing.

Finally, the last of the morphs fell, and a large door at the end of the dark hall, revealing Nergal at the other side, standing completely still. A set of armored morphs appeared from behind the group, forcing a few to stay behind to do battle with them. Whilst others went to attack the sages and druid that surrounded Nergal, Lucius saw his opportunity and ran up towards Nergal, clutching the Aureola tome as tightly as he could. This was it, he thought. Taking a quick look back, watching as Florina was dealing with the armored knights, he took in a deep sharp breath and turned around to confront Nergal.

Neither said anything as they looked at each other. Lucius prepared his battling staff, watching Nergal as he raised a single hand.

"Prepare yourself" he said in his sinister voice. "You are about to witness a power that overwhelms all!"

Opening his hand out, Lucius could feel the terrifying dark waves of energy coursing right through him. He remembered Canas telling him about dark magic and as Nergal's powers tore through him, his words started to replay loudly in his head…

_"Well Lucius…dark energy is the most powerful form of magic there is. It's also the hardest to master; much like yourself with light energy, in order to harness dark energy you have to be able to allow it to change the structure of your body to be able to create it from chanting the tomes. But unlike light, which has a far smaller repercussion when it comes to assimilation, darkness can have a very serious effect if one does not fully concentrate on controlling the dark magic. The very nature of the dark arts as an offense is to destroy the soul of the opponent, rendering them practically dead inside, and therefore, an absolute nothing on the outside. I'm sure I've told you of my brothers, who attempted to learn the ancient arts…their assimilations were disasters. They still live, but all they do is sit…they do not eat, they do not sleep. They hardly breathe, just enough to remain physically alive. Apart from that, they are soulless, corrupted. That is the devastating power of the ancient arts, the incantations and the tomes are designed to tear one's soul apart. If a shaman ever approaches you, then you must be strong to resist the dark power they will possess, or otherwise you will certainly not make it…"_

This information rolled through Lucius's head like thunder. The power of Nergal's attack was already tearing at him inside. Lucius could feel himself falling short of breath as he tried to resist the power of the attack, his eyesight falling dim. He knew if he stood and allowed the assault on his soul to continue, he wouldn't be able to continue fighting. And that wasn't going to happen.

As the dark wave slowly came to an end, Lucius started to pant, having felt the damage dealt by the attack. He knew he couldn't falter now. He had to counterattack.

Lifting his attack staff, he took a deep breath and opened the Aureola, looking at the inscriptions inside. He could already feel the pulsing power of the time inside of him. Starting his incantation, he turned and looked to Nergal, whose face was one of a battle prepared combatant. He closed his eyes, remembering the concentration technique he was taught; he could sense the inscriptions of the Aureola inside his mind, every word and every letter clear as the morning skies of Etruria. The more he spoke, the more power that was building inside of him. He could sense light building up around him and as he opened his eyes, he saw that Nergal was surrounded in a spotlight as well, shading his eyes from the dark, trying to shield himself from the light.

His power was fast approaching its crux. The exhilaration felt by Lucius was immense; he could swear that he could feel the very essence of St Elimine inside of him. The power felt somewhat godly as his chant came to and end. Yelling out, he pointed his staff towards Nergal, which suddenly focused all the light that surrounded him into one small beam.

Releasing the energy that he had built up inside, a large shard of condensed light crashed on top of Nergal before shattering brilliantly. A blinding light filled the room as Nergal's scream shot through the hall, feeling the full effect of the Aureola. Even Lucius felt a little pain in his eyes from the radiance of the light; so powerful that everybody in hall around Nergal had to stop and shield their eyes from the luminosity.

As Lucius uncovered his eyes, he saw Nergal on his knees, his robes tattered, his face bruised and bleeding, completely defeated. He coughed blood out onto the floor, holding his chest. Forcing himself back to his feet, ne struggled, knowing that the damage he had suffered was too great. He couldn't believe it. Such power in one blast! Even Lucius was in awe; surely his shot couldn't be that powerful? He felt the same tingling sensation when he landed an extreme blow on any other enemy. His staff would flash rapidly as he raised it into the air, sometimes his robes would flap like they did as he used the Aureola. Perhaps it was one of those odd moments where his attack would be extremely powered, the rare moment when his concentration would unexpectedly pass its crux and extend even further and cause critical damage, thrice as powerful as he would usually.

"Why?" Nergal sputtered, a mixture of blood and saliva dripping from his mouth. "Why must I lose? More power…" He clenched his fist, looking at it. "I must be….stronger…I…." His face suddenly twisted into an anguished expression. "Why? Why did I…want power? Aenir? No…don't understand…" He suddenly looked up at Lucius, snarling and laughing weakly. "Gaa…Not like this…I will not die…like this. With my last breath…tremble…and…despair. Hwah ha ha…Ha…ha ha ha…"

As his eyes rolled to the bad of his head, Nergal released a final breath and collapsed limply to the floor, dead. There was quietude in the room that portrayed everybody's shock and disbelief. Was the final battle really over?

It dawned on Lucius that his energy was suddenly starting to fade. Taking a quick gasp of breath, he almost dropped the Aureola, noticing that its power was leaving his body. What he didn't realize was during the attack, he had lost a lot of his own internal energy as well. With the fading energy went his own consciousness as he dropped to his knees, placing the Aureola to the ground safely and planting his staff to the ground; his breathing became deeper and more exhausted. The energy continued to leave his body; Lucius feared the worst. Had he used up all of his internal energy to kill Nergal?

Was he going to die?

Falling with his back to the floor, he could hear the cry of a particular voice as his eyesight went hazy. Funny, he thought. It was only a few days ago he was in the arms of an angel, and now here he was again, limp and broken of all senses, staring through the blur towards the same angel, whose face he could only just recognize. He believed that it was St Elimine, coming to take him personally to the after life, but an occurred focus of his eye confirmed a different identity. Attempting to utter the name, listening to the almost velvety sound of his angel's voice, he closed his eyes and breathed his last conscious breath, feeling the strongest peace inside of him.

**I'm not trying to big up Lucius or anything, this genuinely happened to me in my game. I OMGWTFBBQ'd. **


	17. Chapter 17: Daybreak

Chapter 17: Daybreak

"Aah! Daybreak!"

Whatever had happened to him before, it didn't last long. Within moments he was opening his eyes again, having registered Hector's weary but relieved voice from a fair distance. He could pick up other voices as well, Lyn's and Eliwood's primarily. Opening his eyes fully, the light of the sun danced gently upon his senses. Like a new energy, invigorating strength.

Sitting up, he rubbed his head and looked about him. To his left side was the entire convoy, laughing and celebrating their victory over something or other. It sounded like they were talking about some sort of dragon, although he could never be quite sure. He spotted Raven in the crowd, being patted on the back by Dorcas. He laughed to himself a little, they must have been key players in the victory it seemed.

Turning his eyes the other way, before he even saw anything he recognized the warmth of a presence by his side. His eyes first fell on her leg, dirty from the battle. Looking up, he came face to face with the same angel who had held him twice before in his 'dying' moments.

"Good morning, Lucius" she said warmly.

"…Good morning, Florina" Lucius replied, smiling wearily. Lucius then stood to his feet whilst Florina, who was also sat down, joined him.

"The battle…has it finished?" Lucius asked. Florina giggled a little, nodding her head.

"You should have seen Raven" Florina explained. "He charged the dragon first. Dorcas followed soon after and Oswin didn't want to miss out on it, hee hee! It was a very heroic display before the lords went in to attack, and we all did our bit, but that was the highlight" she explained. Lucius imagined the image, laughing quietly as he glanced towards Oswin, who was with Hector. The two were laughing heartily, mimicking each other's moves, completely elated with their victory to a sense of euphoria.

"It looks as if I missed out on the big moment then" Lucius said wistfully, looking down by his hand to see that the Aureola was gone. As quickly as he looked to his hand, he saw and felt Florina's hands wrap around him, her head nestling by his side in front of his shoulder.

"You were great" she said quietly. "The way you struck Nergal down in one shot…people will be talking to you for a long time"

Lucius felt her head rubbing softly against his shoulder. A whirlwind of emotions flew through his mind as he felt her against him, a whirlwind that certainly dazed him from the inside. But of all the emotions, one stood prominent, one that Lucius had feared would arise by spending time with Florina, being in physical contact, feeling warmth within him.

It was doubt.

He had to speak to her about at soon as he could. Even if that meant right there and now, whilst they were still separated from the rest of the celebrating group.

"Florina, I want to ask you something" Lucius said suddenly. Florina stopped rubbing her head as soon as Lucius's request hit her ears. Slowly, she fearfully let go, looking up to him.

"…What?" she asked. Lucius felt uncomfortable, a bead of sweat formed on his forehead.

"…About a couple of days ago…" he said. That was all he needed to say as Florina's eyes widened ever so slightly, before her face started to blush. Lucius knew there was no going back; Florina wasn't smiling.

"Oh…" she breathed out. "Th-that…"

The two stood there in severe discomfort. Any misspoken words could shatter something truly precious, and the both of them knew that fully well. About thirty seconds passed before Florina decided to say it.

"I-I'm sorry I kissed you" she said, putting her bravest face on. She looked as Lucius held a sincere, understanding face. She felt the energy to explain everything she felt; she reminded herself that the person she was talking to could never bring himself to harm her. "I've been feeling a lot of things lately, emotions th-that I-I…u-uh…" She became flustered, too afraid to tread any further, forgetting her motivation instantly. "i-I…I j-just wan…w-wanted to…."

"Florina" Lucius said solidly, his heart also beating fast, but his mind set on the search for the right path. "I know you're nervous. I want you to know clearly that nothing you say will make me change my mind about you"

The melting words ached on Florina's heart. Her tears were urging to escape, but she wiped her eyes vigorously, desperate not to cry. How could she say it without his refusal afterwards? Was she facing an impossible scenario, a dream that was never meant to come true? She felt perfectly find admitting it to herself, she had started to fall in love with Lucius, the most unexpected person of the group. She knew it looked strange, but his kindness was always welcome to her. His genuine smiles, the comfort he brought. The expressions he would show always gave Florina's heart a little flutter, his completely smooth, almost woman-like face, and his deceptive, yet modest and tender voice meant something _special _to Florina. It made her _feel_ different, made her experience states of mind that she had only otherwise experienced with men that were just too far out of her reach. She felt happier around him, and each day strengthened these emotions inside of her. To feel the kingdom of dreams she had built, the sudden rush of diary entries she had written, near depleting an otherwise purposeless journal, to feel the wonderful worlds she imagined come crashing down around her was just too hard for her to take.

She couldn't bring herself to admit it. She was falling for him. And out of the fear that she would face the simple words of rejection, her stutter turned into a weak cry of anguish. Her attempt to be strong and defy the tears she used to shed so often had failed her as her composure fell apart. And as soon as the first tear fell, Lucius had taken her right into his arms, holding her tightly. She knew she would find herself in his embrace again, it at that moment, she wanted to stay there, to hold onto him as her dreams liquidated and slipped down the drain of reality.

"Florina, it's okay…" Lucius hummed tenderly into her ears. "I know how you feel about me, I've noticed it too" He was telling the truth; why else would he consider her to be his angel? "I've been feeling closer and closer to you over the days, and…I've….Florina, you have to understand; I've never experienced or done anything near to this in my whole life!" He started to chuckle at the sheer scale of it all. "I mean, you're the first kiss I've ever had, the first person w-who ever showed these feelings to me"

It was time for the verdict. Lucius had to play his cards, all his hand had to be on the table, face up and plain to see, if there was ever to be a happy ending for them both.

"…It's not that I don't love you, Florina…" he whispered tenderly, stroking her hair. He could feel her heart knocking against her ribs and against his robe; he felt so close to her that it was unreal. "…It's just that I'm not ready to love you yet. That's all…"

Lucius closed his eyes, the heavy weight being lifted by his relief. He said it truthfully, and he forced himself to suppress his smile. Opening his eyes, still sweetly stroking Florina's hair, he looked across to the group again. They were still celebrating, but through the crowd, he could see both Lyn and Raven looking at them from different parts of the convoy. Lucius feared they would intrude, but their faces assured him that he was in a private moment.

He knew he couldn't stay long; everybody had a ship to catch and a welcome feast to eat. He held Florina and pulled her away softly, placing her right in front of him, his nerves fully settled now that everything was clear. He then placed his hands delicately to her face and kissed her forehead tenderly before looking into her eyes.

"All I need is some time" he said. "Whatever happens, I promise you that you'll be happy"

Florina slowly nodded, drying the last of her tears before Lucius placed an arm around her and walked her back to the convoy, where the open arms of their comrades welcomed the two. The adventure was finally coming to an end.


	18. Chapter 18: Fears

Chapter 18: Fears

_One week later…_

Looking up to the gates of the castle, he took in a deep breath. Castle Pherae. Although it was only one of the many different principalities in the League of Lycia, it was hard to detract from the magnificence of the castle. With tall towers, each adorned with a flag, its glory resided in the strength that it possessed.

As he was shown into the main hall, the first person that came to greet him was Eliwood. With a smile on his face, he reached his hand out.

"Lucius!" he called. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

Smiling, he reached his own hand out, only for Eliwood to take it with both of his hands and shake it vigorously.

"It's nice to see you looking so well, Lord Eliwood!" Lucius commented, noticing that renewed glow on Eliwood's face, devoid of any wrinkles caused by his past troubles. He then looked about the hall: the servants were setting the tables up for a large feast. Everybody from the group of named 'heroes' was expected to attend and the circular tables held up to seven of each. There was a bandstand up at the front, which indicated possible future dancing and to add, there was a large empty space reserved in front of it for the actual dancing.

"Thank you, Lucius" Eliwood replied, his smile more radiant than it had ever been during their journey. "I'm hoping a lot of our friends can also make it. As you can see…oh, Hector!"

Hector had snuck up on Eliwood and slapped his back, startling him.

"Hey, Lucius!" Hector greeted, taking Lucius's hand and shaking it. "Glad to see you here!"

"And the same to yourself, Hector" Lucius replied, giving a smile.

"Tonight's going to be an awesome party" Hector said, looking around the room. Lucius also took a second look; only Dorcas and Oswin had arrived as well as himself. "The ladies are in their dressing rooms preparing their dresses and faces and what have you, which explains the absence of many right now" he explained. "And it's good to see you're wearing something a bit more casual!"

Lucius smiled, taking another look at his outfit, which was a formal suit with a single robe draped over one shoulder. He had the icon of St Elimine on a golden necklace and the colors were a mixture of blue and white, with a single band of red crossing from his right shoulder to his waist. The robe reached to to the area just above his knee, where his formal trousers could be seen from down to his feet, adorned with according black shoes.

"Thank you" Lucius said, rubbing his robe into place.

"Well, feel free to do as you please until the rest of the boys turn up" Hector explained. "Eliwood's gonna call us all when it's time to be seated. See you then!"

Lucius waited patiently for the celebration party to begin, making small talk with Dorcas and Oswin, with Oswin still trying to convince Dorcas to become an Ostian knight. Lucius then noticed that Natalie, Dorcas's wife, was stood next to Dorcas, keeping herself afoot on a pair of crutches, her leg inside a cast. Upon greeting the others, he talked to Natalie about anything that appeared to be relevant. The minutes flew by.

Meanwhile, in the dressing rooms of the castle…

"You're abdicating the throne of Caelin?"

"Yes, I am"

"But why?"

"I've never really been comfortable with the life of royalty. I miss the plains…"

"D-does that mean I'll have to stop being a Caelin knight then?"

"Of course not, you can still be a knight of Caelin"

"But…it's not going to be the same without you Lyn…"

"Come on Florina, there's no need to look so gloomy"

The two were sat down in front of mirrors, perfecting their look for the party. Both Lyn and Florina felt little need to be appearing extravagantly, opting for the lighter, simpler look. Their dresses had been selected and the two were donned in gowns whilst their touched their faces up delicately, hiding the subtle battle scars and scratches, the mementos of their adventures.

"Well…" she sighed. "I can't stop you, can't I?"

"I'm sorry" Lyn sighed back. "Don't think we won't see each other again. Just because I'm abdicating my rule doesn't mean I'm stripped of my privileges. I've had a look of over the clauses of the parchment and according to them, I'm still entitled to many of the services that would have remained available for me as Caelin's Marquess" she explained. "Which means free transport. I'll visit you in Ilia as often as I can"

Stroking the back of her hair, she watched as Florina let out a smile after contemplating the offer.

"…So that means I'll be turning in my knighthood" Florina remarked. "Both me and Fiora are thinking of going back to Ilia to live. It'll be nice to see home again…"

The brief, wistful happiness slowly formed back into the disappointed face that had been present for most of their conversation. She had remembered the main problem about going home to Ilia.

"…Are you thinking about him?" Lyn asked, fully aware of the situation. She had known about Florina and Lucius since the day after their victory against Nergal. The thought of leaving for Ilia, not being able to settle the matter between her and Lucius and have a clear conscience was killing her slowly inside. She knew that every member of the group had planned to move off on their separate ways after the night was through.

"I don't know what's going to happen…" Florina said quietly, fixing an earring onto her earlobe. "I-I'm scared about what he'll say…or if he's forgotten"

"What did he tell you a week ago, Florina?" Lyn asked, aiming to make a valid point.

"He said…h-her said he wasn't ready to love me yet…" she said quietly.

"Love isn't something that comes by easily" Lyn explained. "I know you haven't been in love or felt like this before, but I know plenty of people who've been carried away by this before. It doesn't end nicely, Florina, people get their hearts _broken_. That's the worst thing that can happen to your state of mind, it's awful"

"H-Have you ever bee in love, Lyn?" Florina asked, nervous about the whole subject. Lyn looked down, looking a little wistful herself.

"…Well, I'm not sure" she replied after a small break. "I do have my eyes on someone…but that's not something I want to discuss right now. But I know I'm going to be careful, and I won't try to envision something for the future"

"Why?" Florina asked. Lyn gave Florina a small smile, happy to be educating her friend.

"It's because it's dangerous for your heart" she explained. "Imagine if you thought of a perfect world where you and Lucius were to live in harmony, only for him to wish differently? You wildest dreams, denied. And it wouldn't be Lucius's fault, because like us all, he is human. He has his own ambitions and dreams I'm sure, and if you were to try and bar him from fulfilling them by chasing your own dreams, then the both of you will be very unhappy. Don't you understand?" she asked. Lyn watched as Florina released her most exasperated sigh yet. Moving her chair across, she gave Florina a hug, surprised not to see her break down into tears. She really had grown tougher over the weeks of their adventure, having learnt to hold her tears in. Florina knew herself that crying never helped anymore.

"…I don't know what to feel anymore" Florina whispered. "I don't know if I'm love with him or if I've just…g-got a c-c-crush….."

"Whatever happens tonight, talk to him about it" Lyn instructed calmly. "Don't be afraid to face him, or fear what he has to say. You're still a young woman and you have so many years to chase suitors and experience everything romance has to offer. Don't push yourself so much, or judge yourself. He's not the only man in the world. Besides, you've made your feelings clear to him already and you both have had time to think. Just hear him out after all the dinner and dancing, and just…go along with it"

Florina pulled away from Lyn, drying her teary eye, having just managed to hold it in.

"I-I will" she said quietly. Lyn rubbed her face, smiling brightly.

"And most importantly…have fun" she explained. "Now enough of that, I want to see how lovely you look in your dress…"


	19. Chapter 19: Celebration

Chapter 19: Celebration

The large banqueting hall had been fully decorated and the men of the group had all arrived. The place also started to fill with attendants as the two long tables were set out in the room: one for the men and one for the women.

Lucius was sat next to Raven, watching in awe as the attendants meticulously placed each fork, knife, spoon and plate in perfect parallel form.

"I hope you're hungry" Raven said, turning to Lucius during their chat. "Looks like Lord Eliwood went out of his way to prepare this for us"

Lucius chuckled, also admiring the symmetry of the silverware.

"You needn't worry, Lord Raymond" he chuckled. "I've been building an appetite"

A large door at one end of the hall opened up, suddenly revealing an influx of people consisting of the women of the convoy, all dressed in fancy, elegant (a few extravagant) dresses, their faces made up to suit their appearance. Some of the single men at the table looked in a childish fascination towards the single women of the convoy as they filled the room with a tone of voice that was drastically absent.

Through the influx, Lucius spotted Florina walking in with Fiora and Lyn. She seemed to be dressed the simplest out of everyone in the group, wearing a long silk dress that just covered her feet. Her almost ceramic smooth arms were bare, unscathed and beautiful in their simplicity. Her hair was curled, her face un-protesting and not hidden within the barriers of make up. She was as she appeared, and it sent a shiver right up to Lucius's neck.

He watched as Florina looked about the hall nervously. Her eyes scanned the room erratically, before they happened across Lucius, who was looking right back at her. Even from the distance, their eye contact brought a closeness neither expected, and as if struck by lighting, their eyes swiftly recoiled. Quickly, she searched for her seat and settled herself down, just out of reach of Lucius's eyesight, much to his chagrin.

As the food was brought out to the tables, the guests all started to dine. The array of meats was extraordinary, there was the finest pork, lamb, beef, venison, chicken, any form of animal they could name and it would be there in some form or another, cooked to perfection. Not only was there meat, but there was also a wide array of fish that accompanied. All varieties of vegetables were served accordingly, accompanying sauces, every little inventive decoration, it was a feast for the eyes and, as soon to be discovered, the mouth.

And who could forget the alcohol? The best casks and bottles of wines and ales where brought out along with the food to quench the almost dire thirst of every member. The alcohol served to moisten the slightly tense atmosphere between everyone after a weeks' absence and as gradual as it was consumed, so were the smiles that appeared in the room.

About an hour and a half passed as the great feast was slowly coming to an end. Spirits were high (both human spirits and liquor spirits) and everybody was having a great time. The women were indulged in their orderly conversations whilst the men were louder, yet still civilized. Lucius, who had always abstained from alcohol, was having a good time contributing to the conversation between him, Marcus, Raven and Hawkeye, who for the first time, was wearing a robe across his usually bare chest, finally accepting the laws of decency. Their conversation was a light, yet immersive, mainly about their journey together and their future plans. But the highlight of the evening was about to begin.

Almost as if by surprise, a door opened by the side of the stage, where a group of men and women dressed in the same red and blue robes carrying an assortment of instruments walked through and made their way to the stage, settling down into an arrangement. In military fashion, they followed each other in single row as they ascended the stage steps. The conversation slowly begun to vanish as their attentions slowly turned to the assembling band. Was there going to be music?

As the final member of the band emerged through the door and made his way to the stage, settling down with his violin, the military precision suddenly melted as they broke into a soothing slow song. Everybody looked about the hall as some of the lanterns were extinguished to dim the lighting of the room. It screamed romance, and every eye in the room fell upon Pent as he stood, offering his hand to Louise, who took it. They then proceeded to the dance floor and assumed their position before slowly dancing in time to the music. The idea of the music had become apparently clear to everyone, and Lucius felt his heart start to race as the gap caused by Pent's absence gave him a clear sight of Florina, who was peeking towards him coyly, almost in expectation.

"She's looking at you, Lucius"

Lucius jumped in his skin as Raven's voice caught him in surprise. He watched as a grin appeared on Raven's face, revealing a mischievous nature.

"Lord Raymond…please, I know she's looking at me" Lucius whispered frustratingly.

"Well, you're either going to dance with her or I will" he joked, giggling a little. "I…oh, hello Rebecca!"

Lucius quickly looked behind Raven to see Rebecca standing, looking down to Raven.

"Hi, Raven" she said coyly. Raven got the message instantly and turned to Lucius.

"Heh…you're on your own" he said quietly, standing up to take Rebecca's hand and lead her to the dance floor. Lucius had never cursed publicly in his life before, but the one person he needed for confidence, the rock he could hold onto in the ravaging seas of his nerves, had just been taken away. The time was appropriate.

"…Crap" he uttered, looking down towards his near empty glass of water. Looking back up towards Florina, he noticed the depleting number of sitting people, finding their well needed presences migrating towards the dance floor. He saw the slightly disappointed expression building in Florina's face as she noticed the empty seats growing around her. He felt his lungs shrink inside him as his legs turned into a shivering wreck beneath the table.

His nerves were overcoming him. _He never felt so nervous in his life…_

But as he looked towards Raven, who was busy dancing with Rebecca, he saw his smile. Lucius vividly remembered the time when seeing Raven smile was such a rarity that such moments needed to be treasured. The pain that Raven had to deal with when Priscilla died had changed him.

Why should cower any further, he thought? He thought heavily about Florina's kiss, her slightly chapped lips against his own. The sweet sensitivity of the moment, the complete indulgence and expectancy of it. Why should dancing be any worse? Florina had been brave enough to seize her chance at his heart, and now he knew that he had to repay that moment to her. The week had been long, but he had begun to think of that kiss as wonderful.

Looking wistfully towards the dance floor, Florina received the shock of her life as she heard the familiar voice calling next to her.

"Florina"

She turned around to see Lucius standing next to her, looking down with a partially nervous, yet controlled expression. His hand was resting on the back of her chair.

"L-Lucius!" she said in surprise, her disappointment vanishing at once. Lucius saw the opportunity and wasted little time in making his move.

"W-would you like to dance?" he asked, gulping straight after his proposition. He watched as Florina's face was stuck in a pause. Oh no, he thought, it was all over. He tried to salvage it: "I thought you were looking a little lonely, that's all…"

Then, before he could continue his attempts to explain his proposition, Florina stood up, her head tilted coyly downwards and a smile just managing to escape from her lips. Lucius could feel himself blushing as he detected the smile. Reaching a hand out, he felt the tingling sensation of elation slowly proceed from his fingers to the rest of his body as Florina took the hand. He couldn't hide his own smile; it was like the effects of a hallucinatory drug at the beginning of its effect. Proudly donning his feelings onto his face, he led his Florina to the dance floor. Before they took their hold, Lucius found the time to warn Florina of something important.

"I have to tell you…" he said quietly as the song was coming to an end. "…I can't dance"

Florina giggled a little.

"Do you know how to hold me?" she asked. Nervously, Lucius nodded before placing one hand around her waist and taking her other hand. It didn't feel right, but Florina's giggling was always there to reassure him.

"L-Like this?" he asked.

"Hee hee…it's close enough, I guess" she said. And as the music played, they started to dance.

It was nothing short of comical to begin with. The role of the man leading the lady had been wholly reversed, with Florina guiding the direction around the dance floor in order to avoid being sandwiched by other dancers. Every song they played had an appropriate dance to it, the band was playing an eclectic selection of music. As the night went through, the mistakes in the dancing numbered less and less. Lucius was able to avoid stepping on Florina's feet and his hold was getting stronger.

As was his bond. The dances became more intimate as the night went onwards, progressing steadily from the professional hold and occasional stumble to fast, detached, often hilarious dancing, before slowing down to the most romantic numbers. Lucius had hardly noticed by the final song that he was holding Florina to his chest, a hand in her hair, her head rested against his shoulder, her hand upon his other shoulder. Their movement consisted of a mere, slow step from left to right, like a pair of slow swaying trees. All of his nerves had vanished through the hours, his library of inhibitions burnt to the ground and replaced by an unbridled satisfaction. He felt a sense of obligation and service to Florina; he felt the need to make her world a better place.

Those deeply hidden emotions were turning their head. As the final song came to an end, both Lucius and Florina felt naught but sheer sadness that their time together in the indulgence of all senses was coming to an end. Claiming the need for the lavatory, she excused herself, mustering the effort to part her contact from Lucius. Lucius watched as the long skirt of her dress waved naturally in syncopation with her steps. The swelling feeling in his chest was returning to him. Flushed, he released a longing sigh, slumping his shoulders. She was truly beautiful, even with her back turned.

Minutes passed as Lucius went to sit back down to chat with Eliwood and Hector. He thanked them for the splendid night and complimented the exquisite food and atmosphere before they started to reflect on the adventure. Though unbeknownst to Lucius, the conversation would only last five minutes.

"Well, if it wasn't for you, Lucius, we wouldn't be here. I'm personally glad I didn't have to lay a hand on that fiend, Nergal" Eliwood said, tipsy from the ale. "The way you struck him down in one shot, let's toast that moment"

"To a truly _killer _moment!" Hector joked, clearly drunk. Lucius laughed and lifted his water, toasting with the two before sipping. A hand fell on his shoulder as he placed his glass down, startling him. As he turned, he wiped the small speck of water that had tipped onto his sleeve before recognizing the face that stood before him. It was Lyn.

"Hello Lyn" Lucius greeted. "Have you had a nice night?"

"Very much so, thank you" she replied. She then cast a gaze to the entrance of the hall. "Um…Florina wants to speak to you"

Lucius slowly stood from his chair.

"Really?" he asked, his face once more glowing. It only took the mention of her name now to flush his face red. "Where might she be?"

"She's waiting for you outside" Lyn mentioned, then directing her gaze towards the curtains at the end of one side of the room. Lucius noticed that there were large glass doors well hidden behind the curtains, leading to the dark of the night and the illumination of starlight.

"Thank you…" Lucius said quietly. As he started to walk, he heard a drunken Hector yell "Go get her, tiger!"

Little did Lucius know, what was to happen as soon as he walked out of the door and to the outside would once again change his life. A change that signaled a new start on his life.


	20. Chapter 20: Romance

Chapter 20: Romance

Brushing the curtains past him, he felt the cold wind of the night sweep against his skin. It was considerably cold and the night was in full bloom.

As soon as he emerged, his eyes caught sight of her. She was standing out on the balcony, staring out into the intricate garden below. Her arms were rested against the guardrails set at the edge of the balcony, her head was down. Walking up to her, his presence was detected as she looked up. She hadn't been crying.

"Lucius…" she said quietly.

"Florina, are you okay?" Lucius asked. Florina didn't reply as Lucius leant against the rail, looking at her. For some reason, he didn't feel nervous anymore.

"…What are you going to do now that the journey's over?" she asked. She was still looking down towards the garden, her eyes open and at ease. Lucius felt perplexed at the expression; she appeared to be quite happy.

"…I wanted to return to Etruria and establish my own orphanage" he said. It had been his intention for a long time, and the more he found himself saying it, the more real it seemed to be. He had always considered the fact that he may not have made it through the adventure, but knowing that the worst was over, his long sought dreams were finally within reach.

"I talked with Raven" Florina revealed, looking up towards Lucius with admiration. "He told me everything about your plans and how passionate you were about the cause. The way he described your face when you were telling him about it…it was a beautiful portrayal"

"Florina…I heard you were thinking of going back to Ilia" Lucius mentioned. Florina took a breath, but her expression deflated as she sighed her breath out.

"I was…" she said quietly. "But…lately I don't know"

The sense of admiration that Lucius had for Florina was ever growing. Unlike a week ago, when she was reduced to tears by her revelation, she was now a lot stronger. She came across as a fully-grown woman to him now, mature and unafraid of life's unpredictable path.

"Florina, I've had time to think about it" Lucius said quietly, looking around to see if anyone could eavesdrop on them. There seemed to be nobody around; many of the guests had gone to their designated bedchambers.

"Lucius, I'm fine" Florina assured as she moved closer to him, taking his hand. "I've finally learnt that crying won't solve anything. No matter what you say to me…I'll smile" she said quietly. Lucius grasped her hand tighter before taking her other hand. Their eyes were close once more, but there was no eye negotiation. They knew how they felt, and they both knew what they wanted. Looking down, Lucius noticed the scar on her skin by her shoulder, revealed by the design of the dress. It was akin to his own scar: a star shaped battle decoration. He felt his own scar itch a little as he looked at it: everything seemed to be synergizing around them. Lucius intertwined his fingers around Florina's delicate hand, controlling his beating heart and nerves with an assuring grasp.

"…It's strange" Lucius whispered, pressing his forehead softly against Florina's. "I-I never thought I'd fall in love like this…I was a monk from Etruria, a man who was ready to accept a life without romance. And with my androgynous appearance…I thought I would be somewhat immune to it…"

"But you weren't…" Florina whispered back, angling her head closer. Their breaths were quiet, yet both were able to feel it resting on each other's lips; the anticipation was rising between the two. "…I thought my fear of men would keep me single and alone…for all my life"

"Florina…you needn't worry a thing about it" Lucius chuckled quietly. Sliding a hand to her cheek, he stroked it softly, feeling no resistance. Leaning in, their lips met, driving their eyes shut.

Neither could recall such a wondrous, exhilarating feeling in all of their lives. The combination pure romance, the passion and the slight hint of lust that neither one or the other had ever sought all thrown into one action. Not even the heated battles that both had participated in compared to the simple, powerful kiss. As their lips moved, trying to ease the inexperience, it set sparks of excitement and delight flying between them. Lucius tightened his grip, Florina responded in similar fashion. They protected each other from the cold of the night, their hands stroking a small area in compassion as they kissed. Letting go didn't seem to be such an important option to them anymore. Image and reputation meant nothing in that one moment.

Parting, they caught their breaths. They had gotten so carried away that even the fundamentals of life had become transparent. Almost forgetting to breathe during the exchange, Lucius made doubly sure that he didn't let go. Florina, who was taken away by the romance of it all, sighed and leant her head against his chest.

"I know Ilia and Etruria are pretty much next door to each other" Florina said quietly. "I was thinking maybe I could come and visit your orphanage sometime"

"That sounds lovely…" Lucius sighed, still holding onto Florina, his lips tingling. "And when you come to visit, you can tell stories to the children. I'll cook you food and you can stay as long as it pleases you…"

"And then you can bring the children to Ilia on a trip" Florina continued, building yet another of her fantasies, knowing that this one would likely ring true for the future, driving her imagination on. "It'll be your duty on visiting, and they can see the snow covered mountains. I'll learn how to knit and make them all cloaks"

"Florina" Lucius said suddenly, pulling Florina only slightly away, just enough so he could look into her eyes again. She looked up, her eyes displaying her sincerity and her deep-rooted affection. "…Do you think there's a future with us in it? Together?"

Florina allowed a chuckle to escape her lips. She heightened herself on the tips of her feet, just about managing to kiss Lucius, whose eyes closed in the ecstasy of the move. Falling back to the balance of her feet, she rubbed her lips together, unable to get enough of the sensation.

"I was hoping about something like that" she said quietly, taking in a deep breath. Lucius could feel their bond strengthen with every little move they made. He was in awe at the potential that he had with Florina, how far could they possibly go?

"Maybe it isn't just love yet…" Lucius warned, taking Florina back into the full grip of his arms. "But I'm willing to continue with the…'arrangement' that we've got between us"

"Me too…" Florina whispered, resting her head against Lucius's chest once more. "…I promise that I won't be a burden"

"You never were, Florina. You never were…"


	21. Final Chapter: Love

Final Chapter: Love

"And that's the end of the story"

"Aww! That was so cute, Father!"

"Tell us another one!"

"Hmm…I'm sorry children, but it's too late for another story now. Maybe I'll tell you another story tomorrow night"

"*sigh*…you never let us stay up late"

"That's because you need to sleep so you can become big strong boys one day!"

"Like you, Father?"

"Oh no, I'm not a very strong man. Maybe like…Lord Hector of Ostia himself!"

"Wow! He's so cool!"

"Indeed he is. Now if you sleep, I promise I'll take you all on a trip around the fields tomorrow"

"Okay…"

"…Father, will you tuck me in?"

"Of course I will. There you go"

"Thank you Father"

"Goodnight you three. And remember, noise to a minimum!"

Closing the door, he breathed out a sigh of relief. That story took out a lot more of him than he ever thought it would. Of all the bedtime stories that he had been told, that was the most encumbered he had managed. It took twenty whole days, segmented so that the story would remain fresh in their minds, for the story to reach its climax.

It was a story he personally enjoyed though, and as he extinguished the candles in the hallway on the way to his own room, his thoughts fell back to the previous five years and everything he had accomplished since the time the story took place. He really felt he had come a long way, and he was still young. There was so much of life left to enjoy, it filled him with a familiar warmth that usually accompanied a session of reminiscence.

Extinguishing the last of the candles, he opened the door to his lantern lit room. Hanging is robes against the back of the door, he slipped into the bed and pulled the duvet over him, laying his head against the large pillow.

Turning his head, he lay his eyes upon his beloved.

"Goodnight, my darling" he said to her, kissing her forehead.

"Goodnight sweetheart" she replied, taking his hand and stroking her thumb across the top of his hand. As he extinguished the final lantern, sinking the room into darkness, he felt his beloved holding onto him, caressing his body and filling it with warmth. Kissing her once again, the two slowly fell into the deep slumber that they had always dreamed of sharing five years ago. They had yet to formulate plans to marry; they were happy enough with the consummated relationship they shared. They hadn't even thought of starting their own family; all that mattered to them were the safety of the orphanage and their lasting love for each other.

And sat beside their bedside was the empty little vial that had brought them together, a vial which still carried the scent of bergamot and vetiver.

**The end.**

**Decided to upload last chapter and this ending quickly, seeming I'm going away on holiday next week. I had fun writing this, I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did writing it! I suppose you could assume its canonical, although a little imagination would be required to determine how things work out and such. Anyway, check out my other stuff if you like, I'm going on holiday! Bye!**


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